


Crazy Love

by Tania885



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Gotham (TV), Suicide Squad (2016)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Arkham Asylum, Assassins & Hitmen, Canon-Typical Violence, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Humor, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, International Fanworks Day 2021, Making Love, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Reunions, Secret Identity, Separations, Sibling Rivalry, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vaginal Sex, Wall Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:47:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 58,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27058204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tania885/pseuds/Tania885
Summary: You're the daughter of Ra's Al Ghul. You were his only child until you find out you have a younger half sister named Talia. Because of her you meet Bane. Since you are the doctor for the League of Shadows you are the one that nursed him back to health after he was rescued from the Pit. You fall in love and become his wife. Talia becomes jealous of you and your relationship with Bane. Tiring of your fathers ways you decide you want to leave. Bane agreed to leave with you until Talia gave him an ultimatum, you or her. He couldn't break the promise he made her when she was a child to always protect her. So you leave your family and the only life you ever knew to start a new life. One day you see Gotham on the news after the league and a Dr. Jonathan Crane release a fear toxin and reek havoc on the city. Batman kills your father. But you feel guilty for his misguided deeds. You go to Gotham since they need more medical personnel to help clean your father's mess. You end up working in Arkham Asylum. You're in charge of the wing full of notorious villain's captured by Batman. Including Dr. Jonathan Crane who you start to have feelings for. Then after 6 years you see your husband Bane again. And Talia turns Gotham upside down.
Relationships: Bane (DCU)/Reader, Jonathan Crane/Reader
Comments: 26
Kudos: 67





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is mostly supposed to be from The Dark Knight movies. But I needed good characters to use in the asylum so those ones are based on the Gotham TV show and there's a tiny bit from Suicide Squad.
> 
> I like The Riddler and The Penguin on Gotham. They're fun to write.

Prologue

CHAPTER 1

  
  


You are the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul. You were born and raised in Nanda Parbat, home to the League of Shadows, hidden deep in the Himalayan mountains. You were not an assassin, but your father trained you the same as he did the assassins in the event you ever needed to take his place. You were actually the doctor that cared for all the league members. You started training under the resident doctor there at a very young age and took over when he became too old and frail. 

Ra’s Al Ghul believed all league members were expendable. The only reason you were not an assassin or official league member was because you were not expendable to your father. He instilled that thought into their minds as he trained them. You highly disagreed with that concept. You cared for these men, healed their wounds, put them back together when they were broken. To you they were family. Your closest friend and league member was Barsad. Your father found him alone when he was young and took him in. He was your best friend, and like a brother to you. 

You never understood how your life could be more valuable than another person's life. Whenever a league member was put into your care you did everything possible to ensure their survival. The occasions you lost one instead of saved them you took very hard. It broke your heart a little each time. Your father didn’t care whether they lived or died. He thought he did his due diligence by having a doctor on hand. The only reason your father agreed to have a doctor in Nanda Parbat is because your mother insisted. So he did it to appease his wife. 

Your mother died a few years ago of illness. Nothing you could have done to save her, it was her time according to your father.

You were Ra’s Al Ghul’s only child, until one day you became his eldest daughter. A very determined young girl found her way to Nanda Parbat. Seems your father had an affair several years ago. Your mother found out and in a fit of rage she threw the mistress into the Pit. The Pit is exactly how it sounds. It’s an underground prison, a deep hole in the ground in the middle of nowhere. Sounds like it would be easy to escape from. But everyone that has tried failed and died, except for your half sister. It’s unclear if your mother knew the other woman was pregnant or not when she threw her in there. 

Talia Al Ghul, your younger half sister, was born in the Pit. Her mother told her where to find Ra’s Al Ghul before she died. When Talia arrived at Nanda Parbat she was going on and on about her savior. The man that protected her and kept her safe, helping her escape the Pit after her mother was killed. Your father wanting revenge for the death of his secret lost love and also to rescue the man that saved his second daughter left with several league members to go to the Pit.

That’s when you met him. Bane. When your father returned from the Pit he brought Bane directly to you. He was badly injured in the Pit by the prisoner riot that occurred when he helped Talia escape. There was a doctor residing in the prison, and he did some shotty patch work and actually did more damage than good to the poor man. He was covered in scars and festered wounds that never healed, he was in excruciating pain but tried to hide it from Talia. 

You had your own wing in Nanda Parbat. The top floor was your personal living quarters. The middle and bottom floors were the infirmary / medical floors. There were a couple other medical staff members that worked under you as your assistants. Only you treated Bane though, you didn’t allow anyone else. Because of this you spent a lot of time alone with Bane over the several months of you caring for his injuries. You two became very close. He wanted to join the league so that limited your options for his pain management. He didn’t want anything that would dull his senses. The only thing that worked effectively and didn’t affect his mind or reflexes was a mask you created to disperse an analgesic gas. You also created short acting injections, so he could take the mask off for short periods of time.

Bane was tall, extremely muscular, his voice was alluring. Everything about him intimidated anyone he encountered. He looked like a big brute of a man. But you got to know him on a personal level. He was kind, he had a big heart, he was loyal, and surprisingly funny. You fell in love with him, and he fell in love with you. You sealed your love for each other in the joining of souls ceremony. It’s the league's version of a wedding. You and Bane were happy.

You and Bane were happy which made Talia unhappy. Bane loved Talia, but he loved her like a father loved a daughter. She was much younger than you. As she got older she resented you for a few reasons. She loved Bane the way you did, but she knew she would never have him the way you did. She also hated you for having what she thought was the perfect life. You were born to privilege, she was born in a prison. Bane always stayed loyal to her. He made a promise to always protect her. He tended to overlook her many character flaws because of his promise.

Your father on the other hand saw all her flaws. He made her a league member, trained her to be an assassin. She thought it was a great honor. Like she had something above you. But you knew it meant your father saw her as expendable. 

The primary purpose for the League of Shadows was to restore balance to the world by purging corrupt civilizations. In other words, wiping entire cities off the map when they were deemed too injust and corrupt, beyond saving. Over the years it started to wear you down. Watching the people you considered family destroying other families on your father’s orders. One of his most favorite proteges came from an extremely corrupt city your father had his eye on. You told Bane you couldn't stay in Nanda Parbat anymore. The guilt of your father’s misguided deeds were weighing on you. Bane said he would go wherever you wanted to go.

Bane didn’t leave with you. Talia gave him an ultimatum, you or her. Bane couldn’t break the promise he made her when they were in the Pit. You never doubted his love for you. You were deeply hurt, but you weren’t angry with him. You knew Talia would just keep finding ways to come between you. In the end you left the love of your life, your husband. You left without telling your father, and left the only home you had ever known to start a new life.

You asked Barsad to watch over Bane for you. He promised he would, and he asked in return you at least find a way to let him know you’re okay from time to time. 

You moved to New York. You couldn’t legally work as a doctor, so you put yourself through nursing school. You wanted to do things the right way. You changed your name, you used your middle name Ann and picked a generic last name, Smith. 

One day you saw Gotham City on the news. It was the city your father deemed beyond saving. It ended up being his undoing. He was killed by a grown man running around dressed like a bat, which sounds ridiculous. You knew it was Bruce Wayne. He was the young protege your father was training before you left. You also later found out he burned down half of your former home in a dispute with your father.

Bruce never saw your face. Whenever you went to the wing the assassins trained in you dressed like them, which covered your face. And Bruce never had to visit the infirmary. He also never met Talia or Bane, they were either training elsewhere or sent out to do various tasks ordered by your father.

The league took advantage of a brilliant yet mentally ill young doctor in Gotham who was wrestling with his own demons, Dr. Jonathan Crane. He weaponized a rare flower found near your home to create a fear toxin that caused severe paranoia and hallucinations, and they released it in Gotham letting the residents tear each other apart. Dr. Crane ran around Gotham wearing a scarecrow mask terrorizing people and even called himself the Scarecrow.

Bruce Wayne or Batman killed Ra's Al Ghul during their siege on Gotham. You were trained to take over the league. But you felt you had no business leading them. You knew Talia and Bane would take over. You didn’t know at the time since you had been out of contact with Barsad that Talia was excommunicated, which also meant Bane left with her.

The aftermath of the attack on Gotham left the city in disarray. They were short on first responders and medical personnel. You felt guilty knowing your family was responsible. So you took a job at Gotham General Hospital.

A lot of the medical staff wasn’t sure how to handle the people affected by the toxin. You on the other hand felt right at home dealing with the crazed people. After being seen wrestling patients to the ground with ease and acted like it was a normal occurrence you quickly became noticed. You were sent all the rowdy and difficult patients. After a lot of questions being asked, you just said you had taken self defense classes, and grew up around a lot of boys. That seemed to be a good enough answer. 

The patients that needed more help with their mental health were sent to Arkham Asylum. But you overheard that Arkham might have to close its doors. After having several corrupt and untrustworthy doctors the Asylum lost a lot of funding. The people others deemed insane you always tended to have a soft spot for. Look at the league members you dealt with daily. They were all there for one tragedy or another. You didn’t believe anyone was born insane or was beyond saving. Something terrible had to happen to these people for them to get to that point. 

Without hesitation, you bought Arkham Asylum. You had a large trust fund set up by your father for you when you were a young child. You also inherited his personal funds when he died. You know that had to piss Talia off, but you frankly couldn’t care less. So you really didn’t need to work and would probably never need to. You did it because you wanted to. 

When you purchased Arkham you did it through a law firm and used a pseudonym on the paperwork. You wanted your identity kept private. Any contact needed with the doctors and administrators of Arkham was done through lawyers. You hired yourself to work as a nurse. You just wanted to help people, you didn’t want anyone to know you were everyone’s boss. That also gave you eyes on the inside so you could clean the place up, without anyone knowing it was you that was watching. And clean it up you did. Anyone mistreating patients, stealing medication, exhibiting poor medical practices, and any one breaking any laws was kicked out.

You earned your way to head nurse through hard work. You made yourself start at the bottom. You needed to work your way up like everyone else. So you were eventually given an entire wing of Arkham to oversee. You were given the celebrity villains brought in by Batman. Which the staff called your floor the Bat Wing, which pissed you off to no end. But no matter how hard you tried, the ridiculous name stuck.

It’s been 6 years since you left Nanda Parbat. You should have known your former life would catch up to you eventually. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read this story and like it I'm writing another Bane fic. It's called The Beauty and The Mercenary.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a normal day at work at Arkham Asylum

CHAPTER 2

  
  


It’s a sunny, bright and beautiful day in Gotham so you decided to walk to work today. You live in the Narrows which everyone in Gotham knows it’s where the lower class and criminals live. Screw up town Gotham, you didn’t want to live near the rich, stuck up people even though you could easily afford it. The Narrows don’t bother you and it's closer to work. On the rare occasion someone tries messing with you, you just knock them flat on their ass and send them running. You’ve lived here long enough that the locals know you're a nurse at Arkham and just leave you alone.

You get to the secure employee entrance, and greet the security guard on duty. “Morning Joe. How are you this morning?”

“Good Morning Ann. Did you watch the news last night?” You shake your head no. “Oh, you missed some good television. They are sentencing Dr. Crane today. He went on a crazy rant as they were transporting him, saying his name is Scarecrow.”

You give him a polite yet fake smile. “Ya too bad I missed that. Well see ya later Joe.” Joe oblivious to your fake politeness waves goodbye. You can’t help but feel bad for Dr. Crane. Your father took advantage of a vulnerable person. Probably exacerbated his current condition more. Dr. Crane managed to escape and hide for several months after the league’s attack on Gotham. Batman eventually found him though. He’s been sitting in solitary confinement in Blackgate Penitentiary while he awaited sentencing and was also evaluated extensively by several teams of doctors. 

You make your way through the large building and get to the elevator. A fellow nurse and friend of yours, Theo gets on the elevator with you. Theo is tall, tanned skin with brown eyes, in his mid twenties, and he is very handsome. 

He pushes the buttons to both of your floors. You weren’t paying attention, you were lost in thought. Theo starts laughing hysterically, which startles you. “What the hell Theo?” He’s laughing so hard all he can do is point to the elevator buttons. Someone carved the Batman symbol into the metal plate next to the button to your floor. “Are you fucking kidding me!”

Your reaction just makes Theo laugh harder. He eventually calms down enough to form words as the elevator opens. “You know they just do that to get you riled up.” You scowl at him and step out of the elevator. “I thought we were friends Theo.” He blows you a kiss as the elevator doors shut.

As you enter your wing of the hospital you see Mary at the nurses station. She’s a middle-aged woman, mother of two young girls. She has short blonde, curly hair and kind green eyes. She’s worked at Arkham for several years. You picked her personally for your unit because of her kindness towards patients, but she was also firm when needed. 

She sees the scowl on your face and smirks at you. “I take it you saw the carving in the elevator.” 

“Wait until I find out who's doing that shit. They’re going to be sorry. Mark my words.” You can see Mary trying to hold back her laughter. Theo is probably right, because of your well known distaste for Batman, everyone thinks it's that much funnier to tease you. He’s a grown fucking man running around dressed as a bat, he should probably be locked in Arkham not running around thinking he’s a hero. Putting aside what happened between him and your father you still don’t like the man. If he wants to fight crime so bad he should become a police officer. To you he’s nothing but a vigilante. And Bruce Wayne is just a rich douchebag who irks you to no end.

After you leave Mary, you go get ready for your rounds. You have about two dozen patients in your wing. But there’s a handful that you handle specifically because they only behave for you or you just have a soft spot for them. Currently in your care is Carmine Falcone, Victor Zsasz, Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin), Edward Nygma (The Riddler), and Digger Harkness (Captain Boomerang). Digger was actually captured by the Flash. You tried getting people to call your floor the Flash Wing instead of the Bat Wing, but clearly that didn’t work.

You once had Selina Kyle. The Cat Woman kept escaping both the female and male sides of Blackgate Penitentiary. So the courts threw her in Arkham. You knew she would get out eventually. You asked her to at least do it when you weren't on duty and not to let anyone else out. She easily agreed to your terms.

You go to the first locked patient room you knock before opening the door so not to startle him. “Morning Eddie. What do you have for me today?” He smiles and claps his hands. “Hi Annie! What has branches and leaves and no bark?”

You quirk an eyebrow at him. “Really Eddie? I thought we moved past the easy ones. The answer is a library. Is that your way of asking me to go to the library today?” He holds his hands together like he’s praying and gives you the saddest puppy face he can muster. “Please? Pretty please.”

You cross your arms over your chest. “Last time I let you go you smuggled out pages you tore out of books with pictures of penguins and slid them under Oswald’s door.”

“I’m sorry?”

You scoff. “We both know you’re not sorry. You and Oswald need to stop provoking each other. I don’t care who started it and who said what first.”

He looks at you sadly. He really doesn’t like it when you are upset with him. “Okay Annie I’m sorry, I’ll try.” You crouch down in front of him so he looks you in the eyes. “Tell me a good riddle and promise to behave and I’ll take you after breakfast.”

He throws his arms around you and hugs you. You don’t mind if he hugs you. Honestly you like Eddie, you know the things he’s done. But he’s never been malevolent towards you. He’s actually a pretty sweet guy, just misunderstood and very misguided. “Thank you Annie. I promise I’ll be good this time. Now riddle me this; I have billions of eyes, yet I live in darkness. I have millions of ears, yet only four lobes. I have no muscle, yet I rule two hemispheres. What am I?”

You tap your finger on your chin like you’re thinking really hard. “Hmm...the human brain.” Eddie claps his hands and high fives you.

"Okay my friend take your meds and then you can go get breakfast."

You move onto the next patient room. You knock gently and go in. "Morning Oz."

Oswald hands you a flower he made out of paper. "Good Morning nurse Annie, how are you on this fine morning?"

"Doing well, thank you for asking. And thank you for the flower. That was sweet of you." You tuck the flower into the front pocket of your scrubs.

He clears his throat and tries standing a little taller. "You are most welcome. I can't help but notice it's 22 minutes after your shift started. Did you go to Edward's room first?"

You internally sigh to yourself, and suppress the urge to roll your eyes. "Oswald, I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him. You two will stop this little squabble you have going on and quit provoking each other. I don't care who did or said what first. You boys will behave. Understand?"

"Yes nurse Annie, please accept my deepest apologies."

"Oz, you can't bullshit a bullshitter. You two will knock it off."

Oswald sighs and his shoulders slump. "Yes, Ma'am."

"That's better. Now take your meds and you can go get breakfast."

Your wing has two small rooms used for eating and two for recreational rooms. You only let the patients out in small groups. Too many out at once would be chaos. And some you need to keep separated. 

You don't exactly know what started the little feud between Eddie and Oswald. But if it escalates you'll have to separate them and you really don't want to do that.

After your rounds you go to the dining room. Eddie is telling Digger a riddle. He hates Eddie's riddles. 

"What do you throw away that keeps returning?"

Digger rolls his eyes. "A fucking boomerang. Boy, aren't you clever." He says dryly.

"Simmer down boys." 

Eddie looks to you when he hears your voice. His eyes zero in on the paper flower in your pocket, and he narrows his eyes at it. He whips his head around toward a smug, smiling Oswald and glares daggers at him.

You were about to question them, but a tray flying across the room redirects your attention. Carmine is yelling Scarecrow over and over. Victor is looking at you with wide eyes. 

You try calming Carmine down but it's no use so you have to sedate him. You have a couple security guards put him on a gurney and wheel him back to his room.

You walk over to Victor and cross your arms. "Explain. Now."

"I swear Ann I didn't do anything this time. There was a crow perched on the window." You can tell he's not lying. "Okay, I believe you. Finish up your breakfast, then you can go paint."

Victor used to work for Carmine Falcone. Carmine hasn't been the same since Dr. Crane sprayed him with a heavy dose of the fear toxin and put his Scarecrow mask on. He has ongoing nightmares and hallucinations about Scarecrows. Victor has teased his former mob boss in the past. Which is why you thought he had something to do with Carmine's little episode.

You found a calming activity for the former mob hitman. Victor loves to paint. He's only allowed finger paint since you don't trust him with a paint brush. The last time he tormented Carmine, you took his paints away for a week. Which is why he was looking at you so worriedly he didn't want to lose his paints again.

As the day goes on you avoid watching the news again. So you miss the announcement of Dr. Jonathan Crane being certified insane, and sentenced to stay at Arkham Asylum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible at riddles I actually had to google some for this story. So if they're awful lets just blame google.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

It's early in the morning. A couple hours before your actual shift, but you were summoned to work early. As you make your way through Arkham you notice everyone has their eyes on you. It's too early for this shit you think to yourself.

You take the elevator up to the top floor. That’s where the office administrators are and several doctors. There's a conference room used for important meetings. You get to the conference room and it’s crammed full. All the doctors and nurses that could be spared are present. The head office administrator Frank is at the front of the room. You take a seat next to Dr. Harleen Quinzel who is a good friend of yours. 

“Why are we here at this god awful hour Harleen?” She laughs thinking you’re joking. You just look at her expectantly. Then she realizes you aren’t joking. “Seriously? You are probably the only person in Gotham that doesn’t know.” You frown but Frank starts talking so you have to drop the conversation. 

“Good Morning everyone. Thank you for coming in so early. As you all know Dr. Jonathan Crane will be transported here later today. We need to plan accordingly considering this unique situation.”

You don’t mean to, your mouth moved before your brain thought about it. You blurt out. “How can they send him here?! He worked here, and has many victims of his crimes here.”

Everyone in the room is staring at you. Frank isn’t phased by your outburst, he smiles at you. “Yes Ann that’s what I meant by unique situation. The courts decided we are equipped to handle him. Which is why I decided to place him in your unit.”

You hear someone scoff. It came from Brock, a nurse from the floor below yours. He hates you because you got the job he wanted. You hate him too, he’s just a condescending prick. If you could fire him you would, but he hasn’t done anything you could fire him for. “Of course, send him to the Bat Wing, right?” You narrow your eyes at him, and he just gives you a smug smile. You are convinced he’s the one putting Batman symbols everywhere. You just can’t prove it. 

Frank clears his throat to get everyone’s attention again. “I am putting Dr. Crane in that unit because no one that works on that floor ever worked with him directly. So there will be no conflict of interest. And yes we all know Ann can handle him if he gets out of line.” Everyone chuckles at that. 

“But I have known past associates of his in my care. And let's not forget to mention Carmine Falcone who still hallucinates Scarecrows. I had to sedate him yesterday because he saw a crow by the window.”

Brock scoffs again. “What’s the matter princess? You don’t think you can handle the Scarecrow.”

If you glare at him any harder maybe he’ll burst into flames. “I can handle anyone. That’s not the issue Brock. I’m just thinking about the mental stability of the patients in my care.”

Frank calmly intervenes again. “You already separate patients in your unit. You’ll just have to do the same for him. I have no doubt you will figure it out. We have faith in you. You have the vicious mob hitman Victor Zsasz finger painting, I’m sure Crane will be a walk in the park for you.” Everyone laughs at that. Okay maybe he has a point, but it still seems wrong to send the poor man here. 

Since there’s no more protesting he continues on. “Dr. Weaver will be his assigned doctor. He has been certified insane, diagnosed with D.I.D. (dissociative identity disorder), and of course the medical board has revoked his medical license. While he was in Blackgate there was some of his back history discovered. His father was a scientist and a doctor. He experimented on Crane when he was young. Seems the child abuse is likely the trigger to his disorder. I do not want any unnecessary medical personnel in Ann’s unit. You are professionals, so no gawking at the former doctor. If you worked with Crane or knew him you stay away unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

The meeting goes on a while longer discussing protocols and what to do in certain scenarios. By the time the meeting is over you are 45 minutes late to your shift. You have a routine you stick to. The familiarity and regular routine really helps your patients. They don’t like change or surprises generally. So you are never late to your shifts which means you probably have a few upset patients right now.

You finally make your way to your unit and Mary instantly looks relieved. “Thank goodness you’re finally here.”

"I know I’m sorry the meeting ran way longer than expected. How bad was it?”

“Well Edward is bleeding and won’t let anyone check him but you. Him and Oswald got into an argument at breakfast which ended with Edward getting hit in the head with a food tray. They’re both locked in their rooms right now. Carmine panicked when he saw blood so he’s also locked up in his room. But Victor and Digger behaved. That’s something, right?”

You take a deep breath and look up towards the ceiling. “Okay I’ll take care of the bleeding one first.” You put gloves on and make your way over to Eddie’s room. You knock like you always do and open the door. He’s sitting on his bed holding a towel to his forehead. But his face lights up when he sees you. “Let’s see the damage Eddie.”

“The more you take away from it the larger it grows, what am I?”

“A hole. Now let me see your head.” He moves the towel away from his blood covered face and you inspect the cut on his forehead. “Where were you Annie? You’re never late.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I had a mandatory meeting that ran late. You need a couple stitches but it’s not as bad as it seems. Head wounds tend to bleed more. Come on lets go clean you up.” 

You take Eddie to a room next to the nurses station. The door is wide open, you have your back to the patient rooms. Each patient room has a small window on the door. The room you took Eddie to happens to be across from Oswald’s room. You take Eddie’s glasses off and start cleaning the wound and the blood off his face.”Okay my friend, talk to me. What happened?”

“Well we were all worried that you were late, because you’re never late. And it threw my entire morning off schedule. I always start my morning with you and tell you a riddle. Then Oswald said you only pretend to like my riddles because you feel sorry for me and pity me. And he called me a dumb leprechaun you know because I like to wear green. Even though I’m tall and taller than him so the leprechaun thing doesn’t really make sense. Anyway I told him he had a face not even a mother could love and called him waddlesworth the penguin. Then he hit me in the head with his breakfast tray.”

“Okay just so we’re clear I don’t feel sorry or pity you. I enjoy your riddles and I know it’s sometimes a tool you use to communicate. Now what Oswald did was very wrong. He shouldn’t have hit you and I will deal with him. Getting violent is not how we express our feelings. But you knew the mother thing was a low blow and would set him off. That’s what I was talking to you about yesterday, provoking each other. Now I’m going to have to report this to both of your doctors.” His eyes go wide. “No, no, no please don’t. They’ll give me more counseling sessions. I hate when she makes me talk about my feelings.”

“You two leave me no choice, and I warned you both yesterday. I’ve been keeping your little squabble between us but now there is evidence literally on your face.”

He slumps his shoulders and lets out an exaggerated sigh. “I know. I’m sorry. But I didn’t lay a finger on him!”

“I know and he will be the one in more trouble. Now hold still so I can numb your forehead a stitch you up.” You start stitching up his wound. He’s sitting in a chair and you’re standing in front of him. The angle you are standing practically puts your chest in his face. He can see around you just enough to see Oswald looking out the window from his room. Eddie leans closer to you and gives Oswald a devious smile. Oswald starts pounding on his door telling Eddie he’s an asshole. 

You pause what you are doing and turn towards Oswald’s door. “That is enough Oz! I will come talk with you soon enough.” You resume your task and finish the stitches and bandage up his forehead. “Now Eddie you have to have some kind of consequence for this. You didn’t hurt Oswald physically but you did verbally and you did it on purpose even after I warned you. No library time or TV for a week. Understand?”

“Yes, Annie. I’m sorry.” You send Eddie off to the rec room, the one without a TV. Then you decide to watch the security camera footage before you go to Oswald’s room. You believe what Eddie told you but you wanted to see the encounter yourself before you decide what to do with Oswald. 

It happened exactly how Eddie told you. What started out as petty bickering has turned violent so you’re going to have to seperate them for a while.

You get to Oswald’s door and knock even though you just want to rip the door open. After you knock you make yourself gently open the door. The second you open it Oswald is on his feet. “Nurse Annie please let me explain myself.”

You put your hand up to signal him to stop. “Sit down and hush for a moment.” He reluctantly does as he’s told. “Eddie told me what happened and then I watched the security footage myself. He didn’t lie about anything. I know he provoked you by the comment he made and I told him that was not okay. But you took it too far and you hit him so hard I had to give him stitches. I warned both of you repeatedly and I warned you again yesterday. Now I have no choice but to report this to both of your doctors. I am separating you two, so you will have your meals with Mary’s group until further notice. 

“What! That’s not fair!” You put your hand up again to stop him. “I’m not finished. No art time or library time for a week. You do not deal with your emotions by assaulting someone. That is not okay.”

“He provoked me! I get all the punishment and he gets nothing?!”

You kneel down and put your hands on his shoulders and talk in a calm voice. “Oz can you calm down please? You’re going to give yourself a panic attack. Eyes on me and take a couple deep breaths.” He does as you ask and takes a few deep breaths until he feels calmer.

“Good, that’s better. Oz you aren’t the only one having consequences. Eddie gets no library time or TV for a week. I am separating your meal times because I can’t have you two beating each other. I’m sorry his words upset you. But we both know you couldn’t have handled the situation differently.” 

“Yes nurse Annie. I apologize for my actions.”

“Thank you Oz. So you wasted most of your breakfast, are you still hungry?” He nods his head sadly. “Okay I’ll go get you something. I’ll be back shortly.” That turns his sad face into a smile.

Once you’ve finally settled everyone down you go to the nurses station to take a break. Mary is standing there with her arms crossed and Dr. Quinzel is standing next to her smiling. “Oh for crying out loud. Who did what now?”

“Did you forget to tell me something?”

“Um…..? Oh ya, we’re getting a new patient today.”

Mary looks unamused. “Just a new patient, really? It’s Dr. Crane! You think you might have mentioned that as soon as you got here.”

“Well in my defence one of my patients was bleeding so my attention was turned elsewhere thank you very much. He’s not due to arrive until later anyway.”

Harleen laughs at you. “Boy time flies when you’re having fun. It is later Annie. He’s due here any minute.”

Just then the elevator dings and the door opens. It’s full of GCPD police officers, and in the middle of them all is a tall handsome man with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes in a straight jacket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a lot of fun with the riddler and the penguin.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some crazy Scarecrow.

CHAPTER 4

  
  


You’ve seen Dr. Jonathan Crane on TV before, well on the news. You thought he was an attractive man. But having him here in front of you, you realize TV did him no justice. He’s incredibly handsome and his eyes are a beautiful bright blue. You push those thoughts aside. You shouldn’t think about your patients that way. You must have zoned out because Harleen nudges you as she’s talking. 

“This is Ann, she’s the head nurse and in charge of this wing.” Wow you really zoned out. You know a few officers at the GCPD but none of these ones look familiar. The one that must be in charge addresses you for probably the second time. “Ma’am what room is the prisoner assigned too?”

You chose one further away from the exits and within eye shot of the nurses station. You lead them down the hallway to the empty room. As you unlock the door you glance at Dr. Crane. He’s giving you a stone cold look. Too bad for him if he thinks that going to intimidate you. He’s going to have to try harder than that.

The officers take him into the room and sit him on the bed. They seem to be having a silent conversation about who’s going to take the straight jacket off him. You sigh, never send a man to do a woman’s job. You push through them and look Dr. Crane in the eyes. “Try anything and I’ll have you on your ass before you know what hit you. Understand?” He just gives you a crazed smile in return. 

You start undoing the straps on the jacket. Before you unhook the last one you make eye contact with him again. “Once I remove this you put your hands flat on the bed and do not move from this bed until the door is locked.” Again nothing but a crazed smile. You remove the last strap and pull the jacket off. You see some of the officers taking an assertive stance. Dr. Crane surprises you and actually does as he’s told. The officers pull you out of the room and back out slowly after you. You promptly lock the door. They all basically exhale in unison from the breath they were holding. 

The one in charge smiles at you. “Commissioner Gordon was right, you are a tough cookie. Maybe you will be able to handle Crane after all.”

You've met Police Commissioner James Gordon a few times. You do handle a good portion of Batman's captured criminals. He wanted to meet the nurse that tamed Victor Zsasz. 

You just wave the officer off. "I've had way worse. I'm not worried but thanks for the vote of confidence."

The officers leave, and you want to do your normal routine for a new arrival. Normally you have first contact and you introduce yourself and tell them the rules. But Dr. Weaver wanted to be the first to talk to him. You don't think she's going to be a good fit. She's in her late 50's, she's very old school with her methods, stern and very boring. 

So you go back to the nurses station and wait. Mary had to go check on a patient so it's just Dr. Quinzel standing there. She's smiling at you like she knows something. "What? What's that look for?"

She quirks her eyebrow at you. "I think I should be asking you that question. You were practically drooling as you ogled at him."

"What? I did not, there was no ogling.” She just laughs at you. “Sure whatever you say sweetheart.” You’re about to continue your protest but Dr. Weaver comes around the corner. 

“Dr. Weaver hello, since I have you and Dr. Quinzel here I need to inform you both about an incident that happened with your patients. Oswald and Edward got into a verbal argument which ended with Oswald hitting Edward in the head with his breakfast tray. I had to give Edward stitches. I’ve talked to them both, but I am separating them until further notice.”

Dr. Quinzel rolls her eyes, Eddie is her patient. Dr. Weaver always has a resting bitch face so she’s hard to read. “Very good, thank you Ann. I’ll talk with Cobblepot later. Now how was Crane upon his arrival?”

“Calm. Which from what I’ve been told is out of character for him since he was put in Blackgate. But I removed the straight jacket myself, and he listened to all of my instructions. He just kept grinning at me like he thought the whole thing was humorous but he never said anything.” You point her in the direction of his new living quarters. She nods her head and leaves without another word.

Several doctors come to your unit and hold group sessions for the patients and inform them of the new arrival. Some took the news much better than others. While that was going on you stayed at the nurses station waiting for Dr. Weaver to come out. You heard Dr. Crane can be unpredictable. You don’t want to judge him from things you’ve heard but that’s all you have to go on right now until you spend some time with him yourself.

Suddenly you hear yelling and pounding on the door. You quickly run to Dr. Crane’s room. You can see through the window Dr. Crane yelling at Dr. Weaver and trying to take her set of keys. You unlock the door and quickly enter the room. You grab Dr. Crane’s arm, twist it behind his back and kick the backs of his knees to knock him down. You pin him to the floor with your knee in his back and still hold his twisted arm behind him. He’s breathing heavily and trying to squirm away which isn’t working. You look to Dr. Weaver and give her a quick once over. “Are you alright Dr. Weaver? Are you hurt?”

She’s holding her hand to her chest and trying to catch her breath. “I’m fine. Thank you Ann.”

“Were you done? I can hold him here as long as you need.” That actually gets a smirk out of her, which is a first for you. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you. I believe we are done for now.”

You have Dr. Weaver leave first, then you turn your attention back to Dr. Crane. “I told you if you tried anything I’d have you on your ass before you knew what hit you. In this case it was your face though. Now Dr. Crane this is how this is going to work. I’m going to release your arm and stand up. You will stay here until I shut the door. If you don’t follow my instructions I will sedate you. So how about you make it easy on the both of us and choose the easy way huh?”

He starts laughing maniacally. You just keep him there until he decides to stop laughing. As you’re waiting you take a good look at him. He has a white t-shirt on and scrub pants. He is surprisingly toned, he has more muscle than you expected. You also notice the freckles he has all over the parts of his body you can see. Boy does his ass look nice in those scrub pants.You feel your body heating up, what is wrong with you. Stop thinking about your patient like that. 

He seems to have finally calmed down so you try asking him again. “So was that a yes to the easy way?” He gives an exaggerated sigh like he’s bored with you. “Fine.” Is all he says. So you release his arm and push yourself back on your feet. He turns his head so he can see you better and gives you that crazed smile. You back out of the room and promptly shut the door and lock it. 

Dr. Weaver wanted him left alone for the rest of the day, no contact with anyone to give him time to calm down. There’s a slot to slide food trays underneath the door. So before your shift ends you take his food tray to his door and slide it in. You don’t say anything though. You will come in early tomorrow and give him your normal new patient routine, Dr. Weaver said it would be okay. 

You had an exhausting day. You’re sure tomorrow will be too. You’ll just have to wait and see what Dr. Jonathan Crane brings your way tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are a Cillian Murphy fan you have to have watched Peaky Blinders. If you've seen that show you know how sexy that man is. The Dark Knight movies don't really show off his sexiness.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more Scarecrow then finally Jonathan Crane himself.

CHAPTER 5

  
  


It’s an hour before your regular shift starts and you’re sitting at the nurses station, feet propped up on the desk and downing your second cup of coffee. You are also staring intently at Dr. Crane’s door and daydreaming about what he must look like with his shirt off. You felt his toned muscle body beneath you yesterday when you had him pinned to the floor. You shake your head at yourself. What the hell is wrong with you. You’ve never daydreamed about a patient or thought of one inappropriately before.

“What did that door do to you? Or is it the person behind the door?” You jump almost spilling your coffee. Your father would be ashamed of you letting someone sneak up on you like that. “Jesus Theo you scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “I didn’t see you yesterday. I was wondering how your first day with the Scarecrow went.” You scoff. “Don’t call him that. That’s just a persona his confused and troubled mind created.”

“Ya ya, whatever. So are you burning holes through that door for a reason?” You’re trying to quickly think of a non inappropriate reason to explain yourself. “Um….just thinking of how to handle him today. I had to pin him to the floor yesterday after he met with Dr. Weaver.”

“Seriously? Oh my god what happened? Tell me all the details.”

“Theo, you're not even supposed to be on this floor. You worked with him occasionally. Frank made it clear to stay away from this unit and I’m not going to have Weaver up my ass for telling you details. Sorry my friend, no gossip for you.”

He crosses his arms and huffs as he starts walking away. “You’re no fun.” You chuckle. “Love you too Theo.”

After your third cup of coffee you finally work up the nerves to go to Dr. Crane’s room. Which is also unlike you. Since when are you nervous about going to a patient room? After you are done internally scolding yourself you knock on the door. He doesn’t say anything but you can see him sitting on his bed with his back against the wall. So you carefully open the door and walk in slowly. 

“Good Morning Dr. Crane. I thought we could have a fresh start today and I can properly introduce myself.”

He has that cold look on his face again and he narrows his eyes at you. “Dr. Crane isn’t here right now, but if you would like to leave a message.” Great. You get his alter ego this morning.

“Okay, would you like me to address you as Scarecrow or do you prefer something else?”

“Scarecrow.”

“Okay Scarecrow. My name is Ann. I am the head nurse and in charge of this unit. I will be your only nurse with exceptions to the weekends when I’m not here. I will assign a weekend nurse to you. I will administer your medications, but while Dr. Weaver is still adjusting your dosages I will need to check your vitals a couple times a day and watch for side effects. I will bring you your meals, you will eat in here until I determine you are fit to be around other patients. The only time you will leave will be for your sessions with Dr. Weaver and for showering. If you behave appropriately you will quickly get more privileges. Do you have any questions?”

He just stares at you like he’s trying to read you, and then slowly shakes his head no. “Okay I have your morning medications. You can do it the easy way and swallow the tablets. Or you can choose the hard way and I inject them. Either way you will be getting your medication. So what’ll it be?”

He jumps off the bed and charges at you. He reaches for your keys but you knock his legs out from under him. He falls to the floor and you sit on top of him pinning his arms under your legs. You’re sitting basically on his stomach. You push the thought aside about sitting on his lap, you need to pull yourself together. You pull a syringe out of your scrubs and quickly injection him with his medication. Once you're done you safely put the capped syringe back into your scrubs. “Okay Scarecrow you got the hard way. Now I’m going to get up, come at me again and you’ll find yourself right back on this floor.”

You push yourself up and he glares at you from the floor. You quickly leave and lock the door behind you. Mary is now at the nurses station. She looks up when she hears you, your face is all red and hair out of place. “Hard way?”

“Hard way.” You affirm as you pass her. You go clean yourself up before doing your regular morning rounds.

You go to Eddie’s room first. “Morning Eddie”

“Morning Annie! What goes up white and comes down yellow and white?”

You chuckle. “An egg. You want eggs for breakfast?” He smiles wide and nods his head. “Okay I need to take a look at your stitches first and change the bandage.” You check his wound and start putting a clean bandage on it. “Will Scarecrow be at breakfast?”

“Definitely not and won’t be for quite some time. He’s not ready to behave. I haven’t decided everyone I need to keep separate from him. How do you feel about him? I know you’ve encountered him in the past.”

“I don’t mind him. I never saw him as a patient, we were more like criminal colleagues. Villains against Batman. Stupid bat.”

“You’re not a villain Eddie. You didn’t know how to deal with your emotions. You were confused and hurting. You dealt with life events in a very unhealthy way. But I will agree with your stupid bat comment.”

That makes him laugh. “Thank you Annie.” You give Eddie his meds and send him off to breakfast. He wasn’t always this well behaved for you. He gave you trouble in the beginning too. They all do at first. 

You go to Oswald’s room next. “Morning Oz. Are we going to have a better day today?”

“Yes nurse Annie, and good morning to you too.” He looks like he wants to say more but stops himself. “What is it Oz?”

“Well I saw you walk by earlier before your usual start time. Were you with Scarecrow? Will we see him today?” You’re going to be questioned about Dr. Crane by everyone you realize. This day just got longer. 

“Yes I got here early so I wouldn’t throw off our regular routines. No you will not see him. He’s not ready to be around others and I don’t know who I’m going to allow him to be around yet. How do you feel about him?”

“I like him better than Nygma.” He spits out full of venom in his voice. You cross your arms over your chest. “I thought we were going to have a better day?”

“You’re right I apologize nurse Annie. Please forget I said that.”

“Okay but no more rude comments. Now Mary will come get you for breakfast soon so please behave for her.” You give the sulking man his meds and go about the rest of your rounds. 

The day passes mostly normal. But every time you go to Dr. Crane's room he pulls the same thing. He chooses the hard way and winds up on the floor. He does the same the next day as well. But the following day which would be his fourth day in Arkham he throws you a curveball. 

You take a deep breath before entering Dr. Crane’s room. He’s so damn stubborn. The last two days you have only dealt with “Scarecrow”, so you assume today will be the same. You knock and enter the room slowly. “Morning Scarecrow. How are you this morning?”

He’s sitting on his usual spot on the bed with his back against the wall. The look in his eyes isn’t as cold as it has been. He looks less angry, and actually he looks sad. “Not Scarecrow.” He says quietly.

“Oh I apologize. Good morning Dr. Crane. How are you today?”

“Are you here to kill me?” Well that was unexpected. Not sure where that came from. “I most certainly am not. I am your nurse. I’m Ann, remember? I am only here to help you.”

“Your name is not Ann. You are (Y/N) Al Ghul.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a bit of a soft spot for Edward Nygma. He was so sweet and adorable the first season of Gotham before he turned into a crazy killer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your identity is busted.

CHAPTER 6

  
  


You stand in front of Dr. Crane in shock. He just said your real name. Your name you haven’t been called in years. But how? You never met him before.

“Where did you hear that name?”

He scoffs and gives you a sad smirk. “You seem like a clever girl. You should be able to figure that out. Everyone knows I was working for Ra’s Al Ghul.” You just keep staring at him. After you left your father forbade anyone to speak about you. Barsad told you once in a letter a long time ago. So you have no clue, no one would have broken one of your father’s rules.

He rolls his eyes at you in annoyance. “Ra’s Al Ghul had a pocket watch with a picture inside. Your picture inside. He told me your name but not much else.”

You lean against the wall on the opposite side of the room and run a hand down your face. “I left Nanda Parbat 6 years ago. I didn’t agree with my father’s ways. So I left long before he made deals with you. I have nothing to do with the League of Shadows. I’m just me, I’m all alone. Working as a nurse to help people and try to make up for some of my father’s wrong doings.”

“It’s lonely being alone but also freeing don’t you think? Especially when it’s escaping your own father.”

“I guess you could say that.” He just nods his head and stays quiet for a moment like he’s pondering something. “Tell me, what is an assassin doing working at an asylum?”

“I was never an assassin. My father trained me yes, but I was never an assassin or league member. I was their doctor. When I left I couldn’t exactly work legally as a doctor so I went to nursing school and after what my father did to Gotham I came here. I felt like I needed to help clean up his mess.”

“The sins of the father become sins of the daughter eh? So are you going to make a deal with me to keep your name a secret?”

You scoff at that. “For the record my middle name really is Ann. And no I’m not going to make a deal with you. You want to tell everyone my name, go ahead. I’m not letting you out of here.”

He looks at you surprised. “This place really has changed. Before you could make a deal with anyone for the right price. I heard the new owner cleaned up the place.”

“Yes they did. And whether you want to believe me or not, I do truly care about my patients and their well being. You will receive no mistreatment especially in my unit. I hand picked the staff myself, none of your former co-workers are allowed in this wing unless absolutely necessary. Even then they have to go through me. I promise I have no bad intentions for you and would never hurt you. I only put my hands on you before because you attacked Dr. Weaver and tried to attack me.”

He just nods his head at you but doesn’t say anything. You look at your watch and your eyes go wide. “Shit, Eddie and Oswald are probably freaking out. I have a routine I stick to, it helps my patients. But they panic if I run late. I’ll let you mull over our conversation and talk with you more later. I need to give you your meds before I leave. Can we do it the easy way today?”

He scoots to the edge of the bed and extends his hand. You hesitantly hand him the tablets and a bottle of water. He takes the pills without a fuss and you check to make sure he swallowed them. “Thank you Dr. Crane.”

You leave his room with a bewildered look on your face. Mary frowns at you. “What’s wrong?”

“I just had a conversation with Dr. Crane. Like actually Dr. Crane, not “Scarecrow” and he took his tablets the easy way.” Her eyes go wide, she looks just as bewildered as you. She doesn’t even know the rest of the story, which you have no intentions of sharing. 

After you finish up your morning routine you go back to Dr. Crane’s room. He seemed a little sullen. You don’t know if it's just him or the meds Dr. Weaver has him on. But he decided to keep your true identity to himself. He didn’t see any point in telling people, it wasn’t going to accomplish anything for him. He also doubted anyone would believe him anyway. He was just certified insane after all.

Over the next few days it's Dr. Crane whenever you go to his room, not Scarecrow. He cooperates and doesn’t try fighting you anymore. But he’s very quiet. He’ll answer you if you ask a direct question, but he doesn’t seem to want any conversation. His behaviour is the complete opposite of how he initially arrived. You were considering letting him interact with some of the other patients since he seems to have calmed down quite a bit.

One day you weren’t back in time to escort him from his session with Dr. Weaver. You were busy dealing with Digger. He made about a dozen paper mache boomerangs and started running the halls throwing them at people.

You finally get Digger back to his room after threatening to take away his pink unicorn stuffed animal. Once you dispose of his boomerangs you head towards Dr. Crane's room to apologize for being late. 

Mary calls out to you so you don't just pass her by. "I think Crane had a tough session with Dr. Weaver. She walked him back since you were otherwise occupied and he seemed upset."

"Okay, thank you for the warning. And remind me to remove the paper mache supplies for a while." She just smiles and laughs at you as you walk away.

You go to knock on Dr. Crane's door but you see him pacing back and forth through the window. He's talking fast, babbling almost, and pulling his hair. He looks rattled. You enter the room carefully and slowly.

"Dr. Crane are you alright?" He drops to the floor and his breathing becomes labored. He's starting to have a panic attack. You drop to the floor in front of him and put both of your hands on his face. "Look at me, Dr. Crane. Come on Jonathan stay with me, eyes on me." When you say his first name it gets his attention. "Good now breath with me. Slow deep breaths Jonathan." He keeps his eyes on you and tries matching your breathing. "You're doing good Jonathan, just keep breathing." 

His eyes start watering. "Please don't make me talk about him."

"You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to. You're safe. I promise you're safe." He throws his arms around your waist so you open your arms and pull him closer. He buries his face in the crook of your neck. "Don't leave me (Y/N). Please don't leave me." He sobs out. 

You run your fingers through his dark locks. "I won't leave you Jonathan."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Dr. Crane get closer.

CHAPTER 7

  
  


After you helped Dr. Crane through his panic attack his demeanor towards you changed. He trusted you more and he asked you to call him Jonathan from now on. The session he had with Dr. Weaver triggered his panic attack because she was prying about his father. 

You told him he could call you your real name when it was just the two of you. He gave you a small smile when you told him that. Which made you want to make him smile more. He had a beautiful smile. Yes you were still internally wrestling with your inappropriate thoughts about him. There’s just something about him that draws you in. And you haven’t felt anything towards another man since Bane. Which makes you feel guilty. He’s still technically your husband so you feel like you are emotionally cheating on him. Even though you haven’t seen him in six years.

All these thoughts were running through your mind as you’re walking into Arkham absentmindedly making your way towards the elevator. “Someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”

“Good morning to you too Theo. I haven’t finished my coffee yet, I’ll be fine.”

He smiles mischievously at you. “Have you seen it yet? Is that why you have a grumpy cat face?” He nods his head towards the wall by the elevator. Next to the elevators on each floor is a map of Arkham and has each floor labeled. Someone drew a Batman symbol with permanent marker on your floor and labeled it “Bat Wing”. 

“Seriously!!!” Everyone on the floor turns and looks at you. You can tell they are trying to hold back their laughter. You huff and storm onto the elevator as it opens. Theo follows in after you laughing hysterically. “Laugh it up Theo. When I find the culprit they are getting the worst fucking job I can think up.” He’s still laughing as you get off the elevator onto your floor. “Love ya Annie!” You just shake your fist at him and stomp off into your unit. 

Mary sees your grumpy face and bites her lip. “Saw the map?”

“Saw the fucking map.” You grit out as you pass by her. You were already feeling off from your inner turmoil about Jonathan and then thinking about Bane. So the bat symbol bullshit just made your mood worse.

You go to Jonathan’s room and he sees the scowl on your usually smiling face. He cocks his head to the side looking at you in confusion. “Everything alright (Y/N)?”

“Huh? Oh ya I’m fine. So how do you feel about having breakfast with a couple other patients today?” He’s been declining to have interactions with the other patients. You promised to keep certain people separated from him, but he’s still hesitant about it.

He stares at you intently like he’s trying to read your mind. He’s sitting in his normal position on the bed with his back against the wall. He scoots over like he’s making room for another person. “If you tell me what’s wrong with you I’ll eat breakfast in the dining room.” He pats the empty space on the bed next to him. 

You stare at the empty space. This is a bad idea you are telling yourself. Another part of you is screaming at you to do it already. You see his bright blue eyes watching you, and you feel your resolve crumble. You sigh to yourself and walk over to the bed and take a seat. You’re not touching but he’s close enough that you can feel his body heat. You lean against the wall like him and stare across the room.

“I fucking hate Batman.” You blurt out. You tilt your head towards Jonathan and he just quirks an eyebrow at you. “Everyone in my wing was apprehended by the grown man running around in a fucking bat suit. Everyone in Arkham knows I dislike Batman. No one knows about my father obviously but even taking that out of the equation I don’t like the man. He’s just a vigilante in a halloween costume running around thinking he’s a hero. So someone keeps going around and putting bat symbols on anything related to my unit. They carved one in metal plating on the elevator next to the button for this floor. Today they drew one in permanent marker on the map next to the elevator and wrote Bat Wing for this floor. Because everyone calls this floor the Bat Wing which I fucking hate. I can’t catch whoever is doing it and everyone thinks it's hilarious. So it put me in a foul mood.”

You see Jonathan’s body start to shake. Suddenly his face breaks out in a smile and he bursts into laughter. This is the first time you’ve heard him laugh genuinely. It’s not like the crazed laugh when he was first brought in. It’s like music to your ears. He’s holding his stomach and his eyes are watering from laughing so hard. You scowl at him playfully. He wipes his eyes as he starts to calm down. “I’m sorry I don’t mean to laugh at you but it is quite funny. I can’t remember the last time I laughed like that.”

You smile at him. “You do have a nice laugh, and smile when it's genuine.” He just smiles at you shyly. “So what exactly do you find humorous, my relentless teasing I have to endure or my hatred for the man bat?”

He laughs again just not as hysterically as before. “Both actually. It was just so unexpected. If this is the Bat Wing does that make you the head Bat Nurse?” 

“Keep it up wise guy.” You have a brief moment where you both just stare at each other. His eyes glance to your lips and quickly move back to your eyes. You break the trance before you do something stupid. “Well Jonathan, I held up my end of the deal. Now it’s time for you to go to the dining room for breakfast.”

He sighs dramatically. “As much as I don’t want to go I do have to admit after hearing that story it's worth it. Who will be there?”

“Eddie, Oswald, and Digger. I have Victor and Carmine eating somewhere else today.” Dr. Quinzel and Dr. Weaver made Eddie and Oz have a session together and talk out their issues. They shook hands and called a truce. You’ve seen a couple glares here and there but they’ve been mostly behaving. 

You scoot off the bed and extend your hand to Jonathan to pull him up. When he grabs your hand your body breaks out in goosebumps and you start picturing where you would like those strong hands of his to touch you. Once he’s standing you feel ashamed and drop his hand. You miss the saddened look on his face when you release his hand.

“I told them to call you Jonathan. I hope that’s okay. I didn’t think Dr. Crane or Scarecrow were appropriate.”

He looks down at the floor sadly. “I’m not a doctor anymore anyway.” You gently grip his chin with your thumb and forefinger to tilt his head so he looks at you. “Hey, neither am I. Something else we have in common besides hating Batman.” That gets a small smile out of him which is what you were hoping for. 

You lead Jonathan to the dining room where your other patients are already eating. They all pause when they see you walk in and then see who you have behind you. “Gentleman I trust you will all behave and be polite to Jonathan.” They smile and nod at you. You get Jonathan his breakfast. They sit there in awkward silence for a while until Eddie can’t take it anymore.

“I’m so fragile even just saying its name can break it. What is it?” Jonathan rolls his eyes. “Silence.” Eddie starts clapping. “Okay Annie, What smells bad when living but smells good when dead?” You chuckle at him. “Bacon. You want more bacon?” He nods his head eagerly as you hand him more.

“Jonathan riddle me this; As a stone inside a tree I’ll help your words outlive thee. But if you push me as I stand the more I move the less I am. What am I?”

“A pencil.” You smile at Eddie and Jonathan. “Uh oh, looks like I have some competition with answering your riddles Eddie.” Oswald glares at Eddie when you’re not looking. Eddie smirks at him. “Annie my head is hurting where my stitches were. Do you think you could check it again?”

“Of course Eddie. As soon as we’re done with breakfast.” Oswald gives Eddie his own devious smirk. “Nurse Annie I forgot to give you this earlier this morning.” He hands you another paper flower he made. You put it in your scrub pocket. “Thank you Oz. I’ll put it with the others at the nurses station.” When you aren’t looking Eddie and Oswald stare each other down glaring daggers at each other.

Jonathan and Digger just watch in amusement and shake their heads. You have no clue their ongoing little feud is over you.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For my story I'm leaving out the events of the second movie in the Dark Knight trilogy. So no Harvey Dent and Batman taking the blame for his death and retiring. I love that movie, but it doesn't fit for my story.

CHAPTER 8

You're sitting in the library watching Jonathan scowl at the selection of books. 

It's been a couple months since he arrived. You haven’t seen Scarecrow for quite some time. You and Jonathan have become friends. Your inappropriate thoughts haven’t wavered though. 

When you take the time to get to know Jonathan Crane you get to see there is more to him than what meets the eye. He’s extremely smart, but he’s also surprisingly shy and sweet. He has a sarcastic and funny side to him as well. One thing you both avoid though is talking about your pasts and your families. He hasn't brought up yours since the day he told you he knew your real name.

“I told you Jonathan, you wouldn’t like any of the books in here. The library was redone. Only books approved by the doctors are in here. Nothing that will trigger the patients so it's mostly children’s level reading books. If there’s something you really want that's not inappropriate I can probably get it for you and bring it in with me.”

He sits down at the table, in the chair next to you and huffs. “You would do that for me?”

“Yes but I reiterate it can’t be inappropriate.” He leans his head back as he’s thinking. You take the opportunity to stare at him. You would love to run your tongue across that chiseled jawline of his. A kiss your way down his neck. Ugh, you need to cool it. 

“Jonathan can I ask you something?” He tilts his head back towards you and nods his head. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But I was just wondering why I haven’t seen Scarecrow since your first week here?”

"Um...well we aren’t threatened by you I suppose. Majority of my time is spent with you around.”

“But I had to continually pin him to the ground. How does that not feel like a threat?”

“You only did it because he attacked Dr. Weaver and continually came at you trying to escape. You could have easily hurt us, but you didn’t. And you talk to both of us like a regular person not like a psychotic freak. After my first conversation with you I could tell you were nothing like your father and that you were being genuine. Which is a rare thing in Gotham.”

You put your hand on top of his and look into his eyes. He laces your fingers together which makes you feel giddy inside. You’ll scold yourself for that later. “You are not a psychotic freak. You are a person, and underneath all your pain I see a good person.” He smiles at you with watery eyes. “Thank you (Y/N). I’ve never met anyone like you, or anyone with a heart as big as yours.”

You have another one of those moments where you are both just staring at each other. You actually have a lot of those. His eyes move from your eyes to your lips and back to your eyes. You know you’re guilty of doing the same thing. For a split second you think fuck it, why not go for it and start to slowly lean closer.

Suddenly the door to the library flies open forcefully. Jonathan looks panicked. You turn around and you feel your blood pressure rise. Fucking Batman. You stand up and put yourself in front of Jonathan who has now backed himself up against a bookshelf. During a fight he had with Batman he once got dosed with his own fear toxin. He still has nightmares about bats. 

“Jonathan Crane, we need to have a word.” Batman belts out in his ridiculous voice he’s trying to disguise. “You will get the fuck out of here bat boy and stop scaring my patient.” You yell at him with fury in your eyes.

“Move miss or I will move you. I need to speak with him. He has information I need.” You scoff and move closer to him. You poke your pointer finger into his chest as you’re talking. “Then you will send an actual police officer down here and let them do their job. Send Blake or Gordon and I will gladly assist. You have no authority here and do not intimidate me. Now get the fuck on.” 

He grabs your arm trying to twist you around to put it behind your back. But you maneuver out of his grip and kick him in the gut with all your force knocking him back. You block every punch and kick he throws at you. Your father is the one that taught him to fight after all, so you know all his moves. You are getting more annoyed and bored with this. So you grab his stupid cape wrap it around his neck and knock his legs out from under him. You pull the cape tight and stand on his chest with one leg. He looks at you surprised with wide eyes. “Who are you?” He rasps out.

“I am a nurse and you are scaring my patient.” You lean forward, a little closer so Jonathan doesn’t hear you. “Now listen here Bruce Wayne. I’m going to release you and you will leave. Then you may send a GCPD officer down here if they have questions to ask Dr. Crane. You step foot in my hospital again and I’ll make sure all of Gotham knows who Batman really is.”

You release him and he starts gasping for air as he pulls himself up. He looks at you. “This isn’t over.” Then he takes off. You yell down the hall after him. “Bring it bat boy!”

You run back over to Jonathan who is now sitting on the floor with his face in his hands. You gently put your hands on his shoulders. “Jonathan it’s alright. He’s gone. You’re safe.” He slowly lifts his head and looks around the room. He sighs in relief. “Did you just kick Batman’s ass and call him bat boy?” 

You smile at him. “Yes, yes I did.” You both start laughing uncontrollably until your eyes are watering. 

  
  


The next day you get overhead paged while you are in the rec room with your little group of patients. You look over at Jonathan who is already looking at you. You both know it must be a GCPD officer. You still don’t know what they want to talk to Jonathan about. You have Mary watch your patients while you go down to the main floor to see who’s waiting for you. 

As you step off the elevator you see a familiar face. Batman must have heeded your warning after all. “Detective Blake, good to see you.” He walks over to you and gives you a hug. “Hey Annie.”

You’ve met John Blake on a few occasions. You first met when you were working at Gotham General Hospital. You consider him a friend, and you know he’s a good cop. Commissioner Gordon has been cleaning up the GCPD and getting rid of the cops he could prove dirty. You knew Blake wasn’t a dirty cop from the start. He’s like you, he just wants to help people.

He gets on the elevator with you and sees the bat symbol by the elevator button and chuckles. “Still calling your unit the bat wing I see.” You scowl at the carving. “Yes, unfortunately.”

“So Annie, a friend told me you kicked Batman out of here yesterday. Which is why I’m here, but I assume you already knew that.”

You step out of the elevator and continue talking as you walk back toward the rec room. Once you reach the rec room you stay in the hallway outside the door. 

“Well your friend is a grown man running around Gotham dressed as a bat. I would first question his own sanity. Second of all he’s not a police officer he has no right barging into this facility and scaring my patients. You have plenty of capable police officers that can do it the right way.”

He shakes his head at you and chuckles. “Oh Annie, I should be surprised but I’m not. If anyone is going to yell at Batman it would be you. But I do agree the situation could have been handled differently. Arkham has changed since the new ownership and I know you care about your patients. Which leads me to Crane. I do need to ask him some questions, and I hear he talks to you. Do you think you could help a guy out?”

“Possibly. What do you need to talk to him about?”

He sighs. “Well there’s a new drug on the street that has components similar to the fear toxin he made. We need to know if he shared the ingredients with anyone or if he has a stash somewhere that may have been found. People are overdosing and having heart attacks from the immense amount of fear it induces.”

“Wow. Um...let me talk to him first and see what I can do.” He gives you a big smile and puts his hand on your shoulder. "You've got the magic touch with your patients, and single handedly scared Batman. Anything with you is possible."

While you are out in the hallway Jonathan is watching your interaction with the young and handsome detective. He feels jealousy boiling to the surface and sadness when he realizes he will never be normal. He can’t be the type of good man you deserve like the detective that's flirting with you. He thought for a short moment yesterday that you might want to kiss him, but that’s just foolish wishful thinking. He puts a fake smile on his face so you don’t pick up on his sadness when you walk into the room.

You take Jonathan into the other rec room next door that’s currently unoccupied. He looks at you worriedly. “What are they trying to blame me for now?” You put your hand on his. “They aren’t trying to blame you really. Someone has made a drug that has some similar effects as the fear toxin. They just want to see if maybe there were some unknown associates you shared the ingredients with or if you had a hidden stash. I trust Detective Blake, he’s a good cop. If I stay with you the entire time will you let him ask you a couple questions?”

He looks at you hesitantly and bites his bottom lip. “Jonathan if he asks you something you don’t want to answer or if you get uncomfortable just tell me and I’ll take over. You know I would never make you do anything you don’t want to do.” He nods his head. “Alright. Let's get it over with.”

You wave Detective Blake in. “Hello Dr. Crane. I’m Detective Blake. I just need to ask you a few questions and then I’ll be on my way. I wouldn’t dare piss Annie off, especially after she threw Batman out so I’ll be brief. ” He says, trying to lighten the mood. You chuckle and look at Jonathan. You see a stone cold look on his face that you haven’t seen in weeks. 

“Shit. Blake I gotta stop you. This isn’t going to happen right now.” He looks at you confused. “Dr. Crane isn’t present right now.” You can see when he understands what you are saying. Scarecrow has emerged, and he doesn’t like cops. “Blake I need you to slowly get up and back out of the room.” The second he starts to move Scarecrow lunges at him but you pull him back and pin him to the ground. You yell at Blake to leave. Scarecrow is thrashing around and laughing maniacally trying to get out of your hold. You end up having to sedate him. A couple security guards take him back to his room while you go find Detective Blake. 

He’s waiting at the nurses station talking to Dr. Quinzel. “I’m sorry Blake. I haven’t seen Scarecrow since his first week here. But he only emerges when Jonathan feels threatened. Seeing Batman yesterday and then a detective today stressed him out and triggered his fight or flight response I think.”

“No it’s alright I understand. That’s why he’s here after all. Can I leave you a list of questions for you to ask him? We couldn’t use anything he says in court anyway since he’s been certified insane. I just need some leads.” You agree and take the list of questions from him. You promised to call him after you’ve had an opportunity to talk to Jonathan once he’s calmed down and conscious. 

Harleen is giving you that look which is starting to annoy you. Looking at you like she knows something. “What? Why the face?”

“You really care about Crane. You two have gotten close over the last couple months. You’re really the only person he willingly talks to. And I see the way you look at each other when the other isn’t looking.”

“Harleen, what you are insinuating would be inappropriate. I would never cross a line with a patient.” You hiss at her. “Calm down tiger. I didn’t say you would. I was just simply telling you my observations. And don’t worry your secret is safe with me my friend.” She pats you on the arm and walks away.

A couple hours later you check on Jonathan. He’s laying flat on his bed staring at the ceiling. You knock on the door and go inside. You can tell it's Jonathan now and not Scarecrow. Normally he makes room for you so you can sit on the bed next to him, but he doesn’t make any moves at all. So you stand next to the bed and lean against it. “How are you feeling Jonathan?”

He keeps his eyes on the ceiling and doesn’t look at you. “Fine. Just feel groggy.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get Scarecrow to calm down. I had to sedate him.” Jonathan finally looks at you, but more so like he’s examining you. “He didn’t hurt you did he?”

“No he wasn’t after me. He was just trying to get away from me to get to Detective Blake.” Jonathan looks away from you again when you bring up the detective. He feels a pang in his chest thinking about earlier. He proved his own point that he’ll never be normal. He just wants to be alone now so he decides to give you what the detective wanted. “I can give you the address to two safe houses I had and a couple names of people that helped mix the ingredients. Then I just want to go back to sleep for a while.”

You write down the information, but you’re worried about Jonathan. He’s acting off. You’ve been through many of his different moods. This seems different. Before you leave you sit on the edge of the bed next to him and run your fingers through his hair. “Jonathan, are you sure you’re alright?” He rolls away from you and faces the wall. “Fine.”

You call Detective Blake with the information and he thanks you profusely. You should feel good for helping the GCPD but all you can think about is Jonathan.

For the next week Jonathan seems sad or depressed. He gives you short answers and always tells you he’s fine. You thought you two were getting closer now you feel like he’s shutting you out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Jonathan needs a hug.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there is a little bit of Joker coming up in the story. I don't feel that I could give Heath Ledger's Joker the justice he deserves so I'm basing this one off Jared Leto from Suicide Squad. It also kind of fits since I have Harley Quinn in the story. If you hate that version of Joker that's okay. He's not going to be in this story very much.

CHAPTER 9 

  
  


Fucking Batman. You didn’t think it was possible to hate him more. You already had enough on your plate with your patient load and you were having difficulty focusing because Jonathan is still being short with you and you can’t figure out why. If he says he’s fine one more time you’re going to scream. So Batman decides it's the perfect time to capture the clown prince of Gotham. Where else would they send the Joker? Of course he gets sent to your unit. That man needs a unit dedicated just to him.

You have to keep Joker locked in a room that has two sets of double locked doors and security guards at all times. You have to keep him in restraints and you wish you could put a muzzle on him. Dr. Quinzel has been assigned to him since Dr. Weaver has Jonathan. She has to do his sessions in his room because it's too difficult to transfer him anywhere. The man is draining all of your energy.

“Annie….Annie…...ANNIE!” You startle and fling yourself upright. You fell asleep with your face flat on the desk and there’s a post it note stuck to your forehead. “Huh?”

Mary puts her hands on her hips and gives you a total mom face. “You are taking on too much look at you.” She pulls the post it note off your forehead. You rub your eyes and stretch. “Mary, we've been over this. I can’t give up any of my current patients. They'll be upset, they already have abandonment issues. And I certainly can’t punish anyone by giving them Joker. Which by the way I want to know how Harleen seems so cool about being his doctor. Because being his nurse fucking sucks. He needs his own fucking wing. The Joker Wing and we can give it to Brock. Ha! See I'm a genius.”

Mary shakes her head and laughs. "That was quite the thought process you just had there. As entertaining as it was I'm still worried about you."

"What do you suggest I do? You want Joker?"

"Fuck no." You bust up laughing. She doesn't swear like that very often so it's hilarious when she does.

She manages to get you to leave an hour early so you could get some rest. She took it as a small victory. You get some sleep when you get home and face plant onto your bed while still wearing your scrubs. 

You wish you could sleep the whole evening away but you have a charity ball you're required to go to. You and a few other nurses and doctors were asked to attend to represent Arkham. 

You force yourself to shower and get glammed up for the evening. You have a beautiful black dress that accentuates your curves. It stops just above your knees. You put on high heels, when you're used to wearing tennis shoes. And you wear your long hair down, when you normally have it pulled back in a ponytail or messy bun. You dig through your purse and realize you left the invitation in your locker at work. You can't get in without it.

You grumble at yourself as you drive to Arkham. There's no way you were going to walk in your heels. When you get inside you get some funny looks and some whistles. It's the evening shift so it's much quieter. The patients are locked in their rooms for the night.

You get to your floor, you see the evening nurse at the nurses station. "Looking good Annie." She whistles at you. "Thanks Miriam, I forgot my invite to the ball in my locker. Can't get in without it." You glance down the hall at Jonathan's door.

"Hey how's Dr. Crane been for you? He's seemed depressed this last week."

"Um….he doesn't talk much in general but ya he has seemed more sad recently."

"I'm going to go check on him before I grab my stuff and go." Miriam smiles at you. "Go for it, one less stop for me on my rounds."

You get to Jonathan's door and you can see him sitting on his bed with his back against the wall. He has a book you gave him in his hand but he's not reading it. You take a deep breath and knock gently and go inside.

He looks at you with confusion. The lighting in his room is dim. "(Y/N)?" 

"Ya it's me. I left something in my locker and thought I would check on you before I left."

He looks you up and down. "You look beautiful. Going on a date I'm guessing?" You can hear the sadness in his voice.

"What? No. I have to go to a charity ball to represent Arkham. Not a date."

He sighs to himself. "You're not going with anyone? Like Detective Blake?"

That was random, you think to yourself. Then it clicks and you finally put two and two together. He's jealous of Blake for absolutely no reason. You like Blake but not romantically. That's what this sullen mood has been about. You're going to do something you hope you don't regret later. "Nope no one. I'm just me, all alone remember? There's someone I would take if I could, but he's not allowed off the premises."

He leans forward and gives you a hopeful but confused look. "He's tall, dark brown hair, and has the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen. His lips look soft and I often wonder what it would be like to kiss him. He's been driving me mad for the last week by ignoring me. You know him?"

He jumps off the bed and quickly moves toward you. He puts his hands on your hips and pushes you against the wall. His body is pressed against yours and his lips are hovering close to yours. "Do you mean that?"

"Every word." He closes the small distance and presses his lips to yours. His lips are just as soft as you imagined. You run your fingers through his hair and grab the back of his neck to deepen the kiss. He grabs one of your legs and hooks it over his hip as he slides his hand up your bare thigh. You groan into his mouth allowing him to slip his tongue into yours.

You finally break apart for air. Jonathan presses his forehead to yours and both of you are panting, short of breath. 

You say to him just above a whisper; "Promise me you won't shut me out ever again."

You can feel his breath ghost across your lips. "I promise. I'm sorry if I hurt you. I didn't think you would ever feel that way about me. I'm not good for you."

"Are you forgetting where I'm from? To me you're pretty close to normal. I've been fighting my feelings for you since I met you. This is wrong, but I can't stop how I feel about you."

"Neither can I." He rasps out and crashes his lips against yours. He kisses you breathless. You smile at him when he pulls away and put both your hands on his face. "I would love to continue this, but I told Miriam I was just checking on you. And I'm going to be late to the charity ball."

You see his face fall. You know he doesn't want you to leave, you don't want to either. "I'm sorry, I would stay if I could."

He gives you a sad smile "You are so breathtakingly beautiful. Every man there is going to have their eyes on you. They're all going to want you." 

"Well that's too bad for them. I don't care about the other men. I care about you. How about I come in a little early tomorrow so we can talk more?"

"Okay (Y/N), I would like that."

You kiss him a few more times and finally force yourself to leave. 

On your drive to the charity you start thinking about Bane. For years you used to hope you would wake up one morning to find him lying next to you. Hoping he would see Talia for who she really is and come back to you. But deep down you know it's not going to happen. It's been 6 years. You've been faithful to him up until Jonathan. As much as it hurts you need to let go and move on.

The charity is at some fancy hotel in uptown Gotham some rich chick named Miranda Tate is hosting it. It's full of rich socialites you can’t stand to be around. You start drinking as soon as you get there. Dr. Quinzel joins you when she sees you. "You hate it here too I see."

You roll your eyes. "Did my drinking give it away?" You chat with her for a while until Frank decides to start introducing people to the two of you. 

Everyone wants to question her about the Joker. And everyone wants to question you about Dr. Crane. Which pisses you off but you can't just tell these people to fuck off. You're supposed to be representing the new and improved Arkham. So as politely as possible you tell them you cannot divulge patient information. Then some old bald rich guy just keeps prying and you're about to lose your shit. Until someone butts in.

"Excuse me Ms. Smith would do me the honor of dancing with me?" You turn and see a smug smiling Bruce Wayne standing next to you. You narrow your eyes at him. It's either go with him or continue being interrogated by these nosey stuck up rich people.

You reluctantly accept and suppress the urge to punch his stupid smug face. He gets you on the dance floor and smiles at you. "If you are expecting a thank you Mr. Wayne it's not going to happen."

He chuckles at you. "You are an interesting woman. Everyone I ask about you says what a saint you are but also how badass you are."

"Well sounds like you've been talking to the right people then." You say jokingly. 

"What I find interesting is you have a very familiar fighting style. And you showed up in Gotham after the attack. Are you a current or former league member?"

You knew this was coming. "I'm not following Mr. Wayne. I'm not a member of anything. And if you've done your research then you know I was in New York when the attack happened. I came to Gotham because there was a shortage of medical personnel. I came to help and ended up staying."

"Yes ever the saint you are Ms. Smith. I did confirm you were in New York. So how do you explain why you fight like Ra's Al Ghul?"

You bring out your innocent and confused face. "Ra's who? I don't know who that is. I took self defense classes and grew up around a lot of boys. A girl should be able to defend herself."

He smirks at you. "You're good I give you that. Fine, explain your encounter you had with Batman. Why do you think you know his identity and why do you hate him so much?"

You scoff and roll your eyes. "Well let's talk this out then shall we. You disappear from Gotham for several years. Shortly upon your unexpected return Batman appears. He has all kinds of neat gadgets and toys some similar to what you would find produced by Wayne Enterprises for Department of Defense contracts. The icing on the cake, if you hold your pictures side by side, the part of his face not covered by a mask is identical to yours. And your Batman voice isn’t very convincing. I actually find it quite humorous.

As for my dislike for Batman. For one it's ridiculous. He's a grown ass man dressed as a bat, and when I say he I mean you. You sir belong in Arkham. You are nothing but a vigilante. Commissioner Gordon has cleaned up the GCPD. There are plenty of capable police officers and you run around thinking you're better than them. If you want to play cops and robbers so bad do it the right way and become a cop."

He has the audacity to laugh at you. "Well said Ms.Smith well said. I like you, I really do. But I know you're lying about your identity. I will find you who you really are."

The song comes to an end finally. You lean closer to him. "You do that bat boy." And then you walk away. 

As you are walking away you see someone in the corner of the room that makes you do a double take. You thought you saw Talia for a second. But you brush it off. You've had a lot going on today, you're just tired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah! Reader and Jonathan finally kissed!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joker finally appears at the end of the chapter. Remember its Suicide Squad Joker, not Dark Knight Joker.
> 
> Love him or hate him, I don't care either way. I just needed him for a couple small parts in the story.

CHAPTER 10

Growing up in Nanda Parbat you didn't have normal childhood experiences. As you are eagerly getting ready for work you imagine this is the meaning of a giddy school girl. You are excited to see Jonathan now that you expressed your feelings for each other and he promised not to shut you out again. You feel some weight lifted off your shoulders.

You hurry into work and also try to act natural so you don't draw attention to yourself. The elevator feels like it's moving in slow motion which is making you fidgety. Once it finally opens you scurry out and cross your fingers as you quickly glance around. No sign of anyone, thank you lord.

You fling Jonathan's door open and forget to knock so you startle him a little. "I'm so sorry Jonathan I forgot to knock, didn't mean to scare you."

He's sitting on his usual spot and giving you a strange look. Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he doesn't want you here. "Jonathan?"

"I have to confess something." You feel your heart sink as he's talking. "I wasn't sure if my mind was playing cruel tricks on me and I hallucinated what happened last night, or if by some miracle it actually happened."

That makes you smile, and also makes the sinking feeling you had a moment ago dissipate. “I promise last night really happened.” He scoots over and pats the empty spot next to him. Without hesitation you sit down next to him. The moment you are seated he cups your cheek and crashes his lips against yours. You run your fingers through his hair and he runs a hand up your thigh. When you break apart you both smile bright at each other. Then suddenly his face turns serious. “(Y/N) how is this supposed to work if I’m stuck in here? What if we get caught and you get fired?”

“We will take it one day at a time and we’ll figure it out. I practically live here so you being stuck here as you say is alright. And I won’t get fired, I could get in trouble with the nursing board. I’ll just have to pull the ace out of my sleeve so to speak if it comes down to it.”

He looks at you confused. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. I can’t be fired if I’m the boss. I own Arkham. I’m the one that bought it and cleaned it up. I didn’t want anyone to know I was the owner, I just wanted to be a nurse. So I used a pseudonym and all contact is done through lawyers.”

He starts laughing. “You are full of all kinds of secrets aren’t you. You are a clever girl just as I said when we first met.” He grabs your hand and laces your fingers together. “What about the reason I’m here? What about Scarecrow?”

“What about him. Is he feeling left out? I’ll kiss him too if he wants to come out.” Jonathan just gives you a look. You were just trying to lighten the mood a little. You know that’s not what he meant. “I don’t know all of your past, but I know some of it. I know some of the things both you and Scarecrow have done. But I don’t care about the past because that’s exactly what it is, the past. He doesn’t bother me or scare me. I’ve put him in his place a few times you know that. Scarecrow came to be, because you needed him for some reason so he’s a part of you. You’re a package deal. So I care about all of you.”

You can see his eyes watering so you pull him to you and wrap your arms around him. He whispers to you. “I don’t deserve you. But I’m too selfish to let you go now that I have you.” He pulls back so he can see your face. “I’ve never really been in a relationship before and this isn’t exactly conventional so I have no idea what I’m doing. But I guess like you said, one day at a time.”

“I’ve only been in one relationship before. I haven’t been with anyone since I left……..left home six years ago.” You shake your head at yourself. You almost said Bane’s name out loud, and then you start to get that guilty feeling. You promised yourself you would let go and move on so you try pushing those thoughts aside.

“You left someone behind when you left home I’m guessing?”

You sigh and shrug your shoulders. “Sort of. He said he would leave with me but in the end he didn’t come with me. So I left alone and have been alone ever since. There’s some things from my past I should probably tell you.”

He puts his hand up to stop you. “You don’t ask me about my past, it wouldn’t be fair for you to have to tell me. I don’t need to know. Like you said the past is the past.”

You wrap your arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss. He smiles against your lips and then kisses you back. When you pull away for air you smile at him. “I don’t think I’ll get enough of kissing you anytime soon. You have no idea how long I’ve been fantasizing about it.”

He smiles back at you. “Fantasizing you say? That day in the library when we were rudely interrupted by Batman did you want to kiss me?”

You bite your lip and your cheeks turn pink. There were a few things you were fantasizing about that day you think to yourself. “After vigorously arguing with myself internally I finally said fuck it and was about to kiss you when he burst through the door.”

His eyes go wide. “I fucking hate that bat!” That makes you burst into laughter. “You and me both.”

You lay your head against his shoulder and your alarm goes off on your watch. You sigh dramatically. “I need to leave in a minute to go start my morning rounds. I really don’t want to deal with Joker. My day started out so well and I know he’s going to shit all over it. He is so exhausting.” Jonathan kisses the top of your head. “Can’t you assign another nurse to him? I think everyone noticed how drained you’ve been since he got here.”

“There’s only one nurse I hate enough to pawn Joker off to but I don’t want him on my floor. And part of my tiredness was from me not sleeping because you wouldn’t talk to me. So maybe I’ll be a little better.”

He cups your cheek with his hand, so you lift your head to look at him. You can see how guilty he feels. “I really am sorry. I didn’t realize I would affect you like that. I didn’t think you would feel that way about me. But I already promised I wouldn’t do it again.” He gives you a quick but sweet kiss and then rests his forehead against yours. “You better go, or you'll have a Nygma and Cobblepot meltdown on your hands if you're late.” He says teasingly. 

“Oh if you only knew.” You kiss him a couple more times because you just can’t help yourself. “I’ll see you in a little while.”

  
  


You get through your morning rounds, and on time. You save Joker for last because you don’t want to be in a foul mood when you visit your other patients. It’s not their fault he’s such an asshole. You stand outside the first secure door where the security guard is and take a deep breath. The security guard gives you a sympathetic smile which you do actually appreciate. You get through both sets of doors and enter his room. 

“Well hello nurse.” He greets you with his shiny silver teeth. He’s strapped to his bed. He stays there until you put alternate straps on him allowing him a little leeway so he can sit and eat. “Morning J.” You say dryly. You have to inject his medication, you don’t bother even attempting tablets. It’s just not worth it. As you lean down you can see him trying to look down your scrub top. The perv is always making lewd comments or trying to hit on you. He licks his lips. “Looking perky this morning sweetheart.”

You don’t even acknowledge the comment. You just jab him a little harder than necessary with the needle. “Ow! Feeling a little rough this morning are we. That’s alright, I’m into a little foreplay. You do already have me tied up afterall, might as well make it fun. Just don’t tell the doctor that.” He starts laughing, his signature Joker laugh. 

You start putting the other straps on his wrists one at a time. Still doing your best to ignore him. Which is really fucking hard. “Answer this for me my little naughty nurse. What does Crane have that I don’t?” You freeze what you are doing trying to process what he just said. “That’s right I know you’ve got the hots for crazy Dr. Crane. Which by the way deeply offends me I am far better looking and clearly have a better sense of humor than the Scarecrow.”

You try to hurry up and finish what you are doing while trying not to react to what he’s saying. "Maybe if I get Crane out of the picture you'll give me the attention I deserve."

Not thinking and just purely out of instinct your hand goes around his throat. The way you are leaning over him it can't be seen on the security camera that's in his room, and the camera doesn't have sound.

"You will do nothing. I could snap your neck with one hand and no one would miss you, not a single tear shed over you and your pathetic existence. How's that for attention."

You release your hold on his throat and he gasps for air and starts laughing. "I knew you were a firecracker. You just have to find the right buttons to push."

You narrow your eyes at him. "I'm not the kind of girl you want to fuck with. It would be wise for you to shut your fucking mouth."

"Now we're talking baby. I love it when you talk dirty to me." He starts laughing again and you storm out.

There's only one person that has contact with him that could have said anything to him about Jonathan. Dr. Harleen Quinzel.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small warning this chapter has an active shooter like situation but there's really nothing graphic.

CHAPTER 11

  
  


You are fuming mad. Too pissed to wait for the elevator. Dr. Quinzel's office is on the floor above yours. So you take the stairs. Theo also works on her floor. He sees you storming through his unit with fury in your eyes like a woman on a mission. He slowly backs out of your way.

"Is Harleen with a patient?" You belt out as you approach him. 

He apprehensively answers you. "No…..?"

Without another word you breeze past him and storm down the hall and into Harleen's office. She jumps almost spilling her coffee everywhere. "What the hell Annie?"

"That's what I came here to ask you. What the hell Harleen!" She just gives you a puzzled look. "Why the fuck are you talking to the fucking Joker about me and Jonathan?!"

She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Can you calm down please. I can explain. But I need this to stay between us."

She gestures for you to sit down. You narrow your eyes at her and huff as you angrily pull out the chair. You sit with your arms crossed over your chest.

"I saw you in Crane's room last night. I was late to the charity to remember. I saw the look on your face when you left his room. I also know you came in early this morning and went straight to Crane's room."

Well fuck. How did you not see her? Geez you are getting rusty. Well you aren’t about to let her use Jonathan against you. "Are you trying to blackmail me? Seriously? Because it's not going to work."

"No Annie you got it all wrong. I know you have feelings for Crane. I understand because I have feelings for Joker."

Your first thought is to ask her if she's fucking insane. But you bite your tongue. "You have feelings for Joker? The Joker? Define feelings for me."

"I thought you of all people would understand. I don't know there's something about him that just….."

You finish her sentence for her. "Just draws you in. Like you're being pulled to each other."

"Yes! Exactly! I knew you would get it. He's different from any other man I've ever met. I just feel like we are connected somehow." 

You uncross your arms and run a hand down your face. Well fuck, you can't judge her for Joker when you've got something going on with Jonathan. "Okay Harleen I understand what you’re saying. But what does any of this have to do with you talking to Joker about me and Jonathan?"

She sighs and leans back in her chair. "Well he's fighting me about the whole feelings thing. He doesn't think he is capable of love or of being loved and in a moment of desperation I used you and Jonathan as an example for what could be possible."

"I really wish you wouldn't have done that. He threatened Jonathan this morning. He said since I don't give him the attention he deserves maybe he should get Jonathan out of the picture."

"I'm so sorry Annie. I'll take care of it in my next session with him. I don't think he really meant anything by it. Probably just messing around. I swear I haven't and won't tell anyone else. Can I please be forgiven?"

You reluctantly nod your head. You're trying to be understanding just like she is for you. "Okay, yes you're forgiven. Just deal with Joker please." 

You leave Harleen's office to head back to your floor. Theo stops you on your way to the elevator. "You going to tell me why you stormed up here like the terminator looking for Dr. Quinzel?"

"Difference in opinion on how to handle a patient. Joker knows how to push all the wrong buttons. He pushed all of mine this morning."

He shakes his head and chuckles at you. "That probably should have been my first guess."

  
  


A week later you have a bad feeling in your gut when you get to work. That bad feeling gets worse when Harleen insists Joker be taken to her office for his session. She said it's not fair to keep him locked up like an animal. How is he supposed to get better if he's not treated better.

Moving Joker out of his room took you and three security guards. It also threw off your entire morning routine. 

You finally get all of your patients to the dining room. Except Jonathan because Carmine was taken out late you needed to let him finish his meal before you could bring Jonathan out.

You are hanging out in the doorway to the dining room internally wrestling with the bad gut feeling you have. Mary is walking down the hallway with her group of patients. 

Suddenly an alarm goes off. Over the intercom they call two codes and say which floor. The first code means a patient is loose in the building from the floor above yours. The second code means there's an active shooter in the building. You instantly know its Joker, and that's what you silently mouth to Mary.

You quickly pull all your patients out and run down the hall to a panic room. Mary is following right behind. "All of you stay here. Do not leave the room. You listen to Mary until I get back." Mary's eyes practically bug out of her head. "Where are you going?"

"Jonathan is still in his room, I can't leave him. Joker will kill him. If I don't make it back in time lock the door without me."

You take off running down the hall. Mary is calling for you, but there's nothing she could say to stop you. You promised Jonathan you would never leave him. You're running through the halls as fast as you can. Everyone else is running in the opposite direction so you are bobbing and weaving around people.

You make it to Jonathan's door. You can hear the elevator coming up and you can hear gunshots in the stairwell. Jonathan is pacing back and forth until he sees you through the window of his door. You finally get the right key and rip his door open and extend your hand. "Hurry, we have to run. Joker is out and has a gun." He grabs your hand and you pull him behind you. You told Jonathan last week what happened with Joker and then with Harleen. So he knows why you are so panicked.

Just as you turn the corner you hear the elevator doors open and Joker laughing. You're not going to make it to the panic room. You and Jonathan run down the hallways hand in hand until you pull him into the library. “(Y/N) what are we doing in here?”

"There's a hidden room behind one of the bookshelves." You pull him to the back of the library and slide a large bookshelf to the side revealing a hidden door. It’s not a very big room, it’s more like a large broom closet. You don’t know what the purpose of this room was but you found it in the blue prints when you bought Arkham. 

You open the door and try pulling Jonathan with you but it’s like his feet are cemented in place. “Jonathan?”

He looks terrified. “I….I can’t go in there. My...my father used to lock me in closets. I can’t do it, please don’t make me do it!” This is the first time he’s ever brought up something his father did to him as a child.

You put your hands on his face. “Jonathan look at me. Do you trust me?” He nods his head with watery eyes. “Joker will be coming this way any minute. We need to hide. I’d take him down myself, but I’m not exactly bulletproof and neither are you. I need you to trust me. You know I would never hurt you and I will be with you the whole time. I also need you to stay in control. You can’t let Scarecrow out right now.”

He shakily nods his head and takes a deep breath. “I’ll try (Y/N), just don’t leave me.” You pull him into the room, slide the bookshelf back in place, and then shut and lock the door. There’s a light but you need to turn it off so Joker doesn’t somehow see it shining through the bookshelf. 

Jonathan is gripping your hand painfully tight. “Jonathan can you please sit on the floor?” He slowly sits down while trying to take slow deep breaths so he doesn’t panic. You pull off your scrub top, you have a tank top on underneath. “Jonathan look at me sweetheart, I won’t ever leave you. I’m going to turn the light off and then I’m going to sit on your lap so you know I’m here. I just need you to stay with me, and keep breathing.” You pulled your scrub top off so he can feel the skin on skin contact. Hoping it will help keep him calm, to know you are with him. You hear more gunshots and they sound like they are getting closer.

You quickly turn the light off and sit down in his lap like you said. You place his hands under your tank top around your waist. You put one arm around his neck and the other you run through his hair. You whisper in his ear. “I’m right here. Stay with me Jonathan.” 

He whispers back quietly. “It’s hard, but I’m trying.” Maybe a distraction will help him you think to yourself. So you run your lips along his jaw and start kissing down his neck. When you get to where his neck meets his shoulder you work your way back up to his jaw. When you get to his ear you whisper. “Is this helping?” You can feel him nodding his head in agreement and you smile against his skin. “Definitely helping.” He whispers back. So you continue kissing any bit of skin you can get your lips on.

Someone starts calling both of your names while laughing maniacally. Obviously it’s the Joker. “Come out and play Scarecrow! I know you must be with my naughty little nurse. Didn’t anyone ever teach you how to share!” You can hear his voice getting closer. You keep your lips pressed to Jonathan’s neck and hold your index finger against his lips because he was starting to breath heavy. You are basically holding your breath, and squeezing each other tightly. The gunshots echo through the library and he cackles as he stands in the doorway shooting at the bookshelves. Somehow he misses the bookshelf that has the hidden door. Thank god he bores easily. After only a minute or two he moves on down the hallways.

You both release the breaths you were holding. In the pitch black darkness your lips finally find his lips. You kiss him like your life depends on it. You don’t want Scarecrow to come out right now and Joker keeps calling for him. Jonathan’s hands are still under your shirt, and start to roam across your body which makes your skin break out in goosebumps. You gasp and he takes the opportunity to slide his tongue into your mouth and deepen the kiss. Once you’re forced to break apart because you need air you nibble on his bottom lip and rest your forehead against his. 

Because of the close proximity and the small room you’re both covered in sweat. His hands are running across your belly and his thumbs are tracing along the bottom of your bra. You grab his hands and slide them under your bra so he’s now caressing your breasts. He finds your lips again and then pushes you onto your back. You wrap your legs around him and you can feel his hardness pressed against your core through your clothes. He grinds down against you and groans quietly into your mouth. For a moment you forget why you’re in there. It’s been so long since you’ve actually had sex that your mind gets hazy. Just as you're about to reach for his pants you hear the GCPD announce themselves and that it's safe to come out. 

You and Jonathan both groan in unison. “Trust me Jonathan, I don’t want to stop but we have to. Everyone in this unit is going to be looking for me.” He sighs dramatically. “I know. Dammit.”

He climbs off you and helps pull you to your feet. You find the light switch and turn it back on. You’re both red, flush in the face and covered in sweat. You put your hands on his face. “I’m so proud of you. You stayed in control and you faced one of your fears. Are you okay?”

He puts his hands on your hips and pulls you flush against him. “I’m alright. Thank you for the much needed and very enjoyable distraction. If not for you I don’t think I could have held it together.” He kisses you gently on the lips. “And thank you for coming back for me.”

“I promised I would never leave you.” You kiss him once more and then make yourselves as presentable as possible. You don’t put your scrub top back on just yet. You’re still too warm and clammy. Both of you sneak out of your hiding space and exit the library holding hands. You head down to the nurses station where you hear most of the commotion. 

As you round the corner with Jonathan. Mary sees you and puts her hand to her chest. “Oh thank you jesus. You’re alright!” Eddie and Oswald are glaring daggers at Jonathan when they see him holding your hand. They also don’t fail to notice you're only wearing a tank top and you’re both rather sweaty. Mary also glances at your joined hands but turns her focus back to you. She runs to you and gives you a hug making you release Jonathan. “I’m so glad you’re okay. But why on earth are you so sweaty.”

You chuckle at her. “We hid in a closet. The tiny enclosed space with two people for a long period of time got warm very quickly.”

Your patients start calling out to you and saying how glad they are that you’re okay. You make sure they are all unharmed. They are surprisingly calm, but when you think about it they were violent criminals before they got here. 

Suddenly you feel a hand on your bare shoulder. You turn and see Detective Blake. "I was so worried about you Annie. No one knew where you were, and we couldn't find you." He pulls you in for a hug. As you’re hugging him back you see Jonathan’s expression change. He went from sad kicked puppy to angry Scarecrow in about 10 seconds. Dammit he was doing so good too. You let go of Blake and run towards Scarecrow who has a crazed look on his face as he runs towards Blake. You grab his arm and twist it behind his back. “Not today Scarecrow. Not today.” 

Scarecrow just starts laughing and turns his head towards Blake. “She can’t save you forever Detective.” He says with venom in his voice. You push him along down the hall to his room. “I don’t know what your problem is with Blake but you better cool it.” You release his arm once you get him into his room. He cocks his head to the side and gives you a humorless smile. “He wants what’s ours. We can’t stand for that now can we.” You roll your eyes, you don’t have the patience for this right now. “We will finish this conversation later after you calm down. But for your information your little pissing match is unnecessary. Blake is my friend, that’s it.” You slam the door shut in his face.

After that the police needed a statement from you. So you get all of your patient’s back to their rooms for now. You check in with all your staff and confirm all your patients are accounted for. Some other floors weren’t so fortunate. 

You lead Detective Blake to an empty office near the nurses station so he can ask you his questions. “You dong alright Annie?”

“Ya I’m fine, just exhausted. I think I’m crashing a little from the adrenaline rush you know?” He chuckles at you and nods his head. “Ya I definitely understand that one. So Crane really has it out for me huh?”

“No Jonathan does not have it out for you, it’s Scarecrow that wants to tear your face off. But I can handle him, don't worry. Jonathan was doing so good too. He managed to stay in control when we were hiding, even when Joker was calling out for Scarecrow over and over.”

Blake quirks an eyebrow at you. “Well thank you for not letting him tear my face off. So you actually hid in a closet with Crane? You have that much trust in your patients?”

“Well did you notice none of my patients tried to escape like they did on the other floors? They get treated better here than they will anywhere else. I show them respect so they show me the same in return. Sure they get out of line sometimes but that’s why they are here, they need help.”

He nods his head in agreement. Then he goes on to ask you to tell your side of what happened. You start from the beginning of the day when Harleen made you drag Joker to her office for a session and then all the events that followed. You left a few things out, like how you kept Jonathan occupied in the closet. 

Turns out several of Joker’s lackies also made it into the building that’s why you were hearing sounds in the stairwells also. But Joker and his little gang all got away before the GCPD could apprehend them. 

A lot of staff and patients were hurt on the floor above yours. Thankfully there were no fatalities, and you confirmed Theo was okay. Also some patients escaped but there’s not an accurate count yet. Blake thinks they’ve been planning this for a while. But then you come to the realization that Harleen had to be involved. Why else would she have suddenly been so insistent that you transport Joker to her office. Your face turns pale when you put it all together. Maybe you could have stopped it if you figured it out sooner. Harleen is also missing, they think Joker took her. You damn well know she went willingly. 

You tell Blake everything about Harleen, only leaving out the details of you and Jonathan. He looks at you with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you report Dr. Quinzel for what she told you?”

“I don’t know. She’s a doctor. I thought she knew what she was doing and maybe she was just fascinated by him. He certainly is something else. I’d much rather punch him in the face than fawn over him though. But Harleen is my friend and I would not ever have thought her to be capable of setting Joker loose.”

“Okay, so why was Joker looking for you and Crane?”

You sigh and run a hand down your face. “Because he’s an attention whore, and I wouldn’t give him any attention. Him and Scarecrow have met before. Harleen told him how invested I am into my patients so he must have thought hurting one of my patients would hurt me. But come on, why does Joker do anything he does?” 

That gets a chuckle out of Blake. “Good point Annie, good point. Well I suppose I am going to put an APB out on Dr. Quinzel now. Thank you for all your help, and I’m really glad you're okay.” Blake gives you another hug before he leaves.

You walk out to the nurses station and stare down the hall towards Jonathan’s door. Now how do you deal with a jealous Scarecrow?


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things heat up with Jonathan and get more serious.

CHAPTER 12

  
  


Your back is pressed against the cold, hard wall, your legs are wrapped around Jonathan. He’s gripping your ass and thighs to hold you up while he thoroughly devours your mouth. His body is firmly pressed against yours, and you can feel all of his muscles tensing and flexing. You’re hidden away in an unused office. He was apologizing for his, and well Scarecrow’s behavior towards Blake the other day. 

Scarecrow decided to stick around for a while. Jonathan confessed being afraid of losing you to a “better man”. Which almost broke your heart. But that may explain Scarecrow’s possessiveness. He doesn’t show you any affection when he rears his angry head, but his primary purpose has always been to protect Jonathan. So him losing someone he finally cares about would definitely hurt him. 

You can’t stay mad at Jonathan, and it wasn’t really his fault. Scarecrow though, you are still a little cross with him. 

After Jonathan told you his fears his beautiful sad blue eyes just made you melt. Which explains your current position of making out like horny teenagers. You are both very sexually frustrated. The stolen kisses and brief make outs in dark rooms aren’t quite cutting it anymore. But there’s not much you can do about it. Not without likely getting caught.

He pulls away to let you breath. “Jonathan, we've been gone for too long. I need to take you back.” He lets out an exaggerated groan “I don’t want to.” He starts kissing your neck and rolls his hips against yours making your eyes roll into the back of your head. “Jonathan.”

“No”

“Jonathan”

He rests his forehead against your shoulder and sighs. “This is killing me. I know you hate it too. Can’t you just sneak me out of here for a little while?”

“I could but I won’t you’re not ready and you know it. Your last episode left Scarecrow out for two days.” He starts kissing your neck again. “But I said we were sorry.” He rolls his hips against you again. “You’re not going to distract me with your sexiness again mister.”

You squirm around forcing him to release his hold on you and set you down. He holds your face in his hands. “I just want to be with you. I hate being stuck in here especially when you aren’t here. I just want us to be together and not have to worry about other people. They are never going to release me. I have decades on my sentence before I would even be eligible for a parole hearing and that would be after even more mental health evaluations.”

“I hear you Jonathan, okay I really do. I feel the same. But you are not ready to be outside this facility. Yes you may be alright when you are with me, but what about other people? I swear to you when you are truly ready I will happily break you out of here and run away with you. But for now you need to focus on you and getting better. Is that fair?”

“You promise?”

“I promise.” 

He pins you against the wall again and crashes his lips against yours. When he pulls away from you he’s smiling. “Okay (Y/N) that’s fair.”

  
  


After Joker’s escape the floor above yours was emptied because it’s now a crime scene. The remaining patients and staff were divided up amongst the other floors. All of Harleen’s patients had to be assigned to other doctors. Frank called a staff meeting at the early hours of the morning a couple days after it happened. Much like all those months ago when it was announced that Jonathan was being admitted to Arkham. This meeting however didn’t go quite as smoothly. 

Brock is standing up with his hands resting flat against the table in the conference room screaming at you. “This is all your fault! You didn’t control your patient and look at what happened. You should be suspended and demoted.”

“My fault? MY FAULT?! I did what Dr. Quinzel asked me to. I do as the doctor’s tell me to do. He was securely locked up when I left him. I have no control over what Harleen did after I left her office. You just want to use this to get what you always wanted. My job and my unit! Not gonna happen pal. Tell me Brock how many of your patients took off and escaped during all the chaos? You ever get a final count, almost a dozen? How many of mine escaped? Oh ya ZERO!!”

Frank puts his hands up and stands between the two of you. “Alright calm down everyone. We’re all under a lot of stress after what happened. Annie is not your scapegoat. As a nurse she did her job and can’t be held responsible for our wayward doctor’s actions.”

Frank and the doctors decided where to place patients and staff until further notice. After Joker’s escape they were all just dispersed to random places until a more organized decision could be made. Brock was more pissed when no one was put into yours. Frank said your unit functions just fine, no reason to fix what isn’t broken. And he pointed out since Brock’s unit had a lack of patients it made sense to move most to his. You bit the inside of your cheek to hold back your smug smile that was tugging on your lips. 

Once again this meeting caused you to be late to your shift. You’re still agitated from your argument with Brock. When you get to the nurses station Mary looks stressed but relieved to see you. “No more morning meetings for you. Someone always winds up bleeding when you’re gone.”

“Oh for fucks sake. Eddie again?”

She shakes her head no. “This time it was Eddie and Oswald ganging up on Crane. Hit him in the head with their breakfast trays. Crane surprised me though. I thought for sure Scarecrow was going to make an appearance but he didn’t. I broke it up and Crane just sat down in a corner and did some breathing exercises to calm himself down.”

You ball your hands into fists. “I’ve had it with this breakfast tray bullshit. No more trays. They get their food and we take the trays from now on. Where’s Jonathan, how bad is he hurt?”

“I agree about the trays by the way. He’s in his room, wouldn’t let me check him. Said he would wait for you.” You nod your head and start walking away. “I’ll deal with the other two later, after I check Jonathan.”

You get to Jonathan’s room and rush inside. He was laying flat on his bed but jumps upright when he hears the door opening. You hurry over to him and put your hands on his face trying to examine him. He pulls you down onto his lap and smiles at you. “You’re bleeding, why are you smiling?”

“Because I missed you.” He captures your lips for a quick kiss. “I missed you too, but I need to make sure you’re okay.” You go back to examining him, and it’s a lot better than you were initially imagining. “So you’ve got a couple bumps on your head and a small cut. But you don’t need any stitches. I still need to clean the wound. Why did they attack you?”

He chuckles at you. Which you don’t find any of this funny, so you quirk an eyebrow at him. “You my dear are completely oblivious to the whole reason the two of them were fighting in the first place.”

“I don’t understand. What does that have to do with you?”

He smiles and shakes his head at you. “Their little squabble has always been about you. They are fighting over you and for your attention. Then I came along and took away their attention so they decided to gang up on me. The enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing.” You just look at him confused. Are you really that oblivious? No, that's just absurd. “Stop thinking so hard sweetheart. They saw us holding hands the other day and you had your scrub top off. We were locked in a closet together. They got jealous.”

“I really didn’t know, I’m sorry you got hurt. Mary told me what you did. I’m proud of you for keeping control and not retaliating.”

“Believe me it was hard, but I did it for both of us. I told you I wanted out of here, and that’s not going to happen if me or Scarecrow are beating people with breakfast trays.” You smile and kiss him once more. Then you force yourself to climb off his lap because you need to clean him up. 

You pull out a first aid kit and start cleaning up his forehead where the small cut is. Jonathan puts his hands on your waist. “How was your morning meeting? I’m assuming it was about Joker.”

You scoff. “Fucking Brock tried blaming me for what happened. That asshole just wants my job and my unit. So we got in a bit of a yelling match in front of everyone. I won in the end though.” You say the last part with a smile. Jonathan smiles at you. “Only a stupid man would dare cross you.” Well you can't really argue with that. 

After cleaning up Jonathan you deal with Eddie and Oz. But you decided not to bring up what Jonathan told you for now. You basically confined them to their rooms for the rest of the day and they have to have their meals in there for the next two days. No TV or library for a week. They were both almost in tears begging for your forgiveness. Which it’s hard for you to stay mad at them. 

You finally make it through your very long day. After telling Jonathan goodbye you start your walk home. It’s the beginning of fall so it's a little cooler out and getting dark sooner. You’ll have to start driving again if it gets much colder. As you’re walking down the alley toward your apartment building your instincts tell you that you're being watched. “Come on out, I know you’re there.”

Suddenly a man jumps out from a fire escape landing on his feet right in front of you.

“Barsad?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a reunion?


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a family reunion. Made myself tear up a little writing part of this.
> 
> Chapter gets a little violent towards the end but most of it is cannon. Borrowed a scene from the Dark Knight Rises.

CHAPTER 13

  
  


“Barsad I have missed you so much.” You both pull each other into an embrace, squeezing each other tightly like you’re afraid the other might disappear. “I have missed you too sister.” Even though you’re not really his sister you grew up together and adopted each other as siblings a very long time ago.

You finally release each other but you hold his hand. “Is he here too?” You look around thinking maybe he’s hiding in the shadows.

“He’s not here with me, but in Gotham yes.” Your heart starts pounding, you’re afraid you might have a heart attack. Your eyes start to water against your will. Barsad puts his hands on your face and wipes the tears from your eyes. “Please don’t cry sister.” 

You clear the lump in your throat. “If Bane’s here that means Talia is here. Why is the league in Gotham?” He shakes his head. “Talia knows I am loyal to you. The only reason she hasn’t kicked me out is because of Bane. Bane knows I made you a promise so he won’t allow it to be broken. I’m on a need to know basis for her. I don’t know what they have planned, just that it involves Bruce Wayne.”

You nod your head and bite your lip, not sure what to say so Barsad keeps talking. “I’m here because I missed you and wanted to see you. But I am also here because I know Bane won’t ask.” Your heart sinks, Bane doesn’t want to see you. He’s in the same city as you after all this time and doesn’t want to see you. “Bane’s mask is malfunctioning, he’s in pain. Talia can’t find anyone as smart as you to recreate what you made. After what happened I know he won’t ask anything of you. But I’m asking you, will you help him?”

“Yes of course I’ll help him. I’m angry with Talia not him. I would never wish for him to be in pain. Where is he?”

“Hidden underground. I’ll take you there.” You go back to your apartment first to change your clothes and to grab any supplies you think you might need to fix Bane’s mask. Barsad wanders around your apartment while you are getting ready. “You seem to be doing well here (Y/N). Made a good life for yourself.”

“I have, but I won’t lie to you. It’s been very lonely being on my own all this time. I miss home. I miss my family. Well most of my family.” That gets a smile out of Barsad. “I know you’re afraid to ask so I’ll just tell you. He misses you. Even though he won’t say it outloud I think he regrets his decision, but he would never tell Talia that.”

“Is she with him right now?” Barsad shakes his head no. Thank god, you really don’t want to deal with her today.

Once you’re finally ready to go you follow Barsad out. He leads you to Gotham’s underground tunnel system. Lots of twists and turns, it feels like you’ve been walking forever until you get to a large opening. It’s a large wide open area that sits on top of the sewer system. You can see water dripping from the walls and tunnels below with flowing water. It looks like an underground construction site. There’s men all over with tools drilling and grinding into the cement walls and ceiling.

On the far side of the room you see the back of Bane, he has his shirt off. Even from the distance you can make out all the scars on his back. Your heart starts pounding again. There’s several league members around staring at you and Barsad. You gasped when you saw Bane which makes him turn quickly when the sound reaches his ears. The surprise in his eyes when he makes eye contact is clear to you, but to most they would have missed it. Without hesitation you run across the room as fast as your legs will carry you. He opens his arms and catches you when you jump and cling onto him. 

“Leave us.” He calls out. All the league members including Barsad file out of the room. Hearing his voice again makes you break out in goosebumps and causes you to shiver. You squeeze him tighter like your life depends on it and a heavy flow of tears starts streaming down your face. His hold on you gets a little firmer. He wouldn’t squeeze you too tight because he doesn’t want to hurt you. “I have missed you so much.” You shakily whisper into his ear.

He sits down in a chair holding you in his lap. Your face is buried in his neck. “I have missed you every second of every day my love.” He rasps out. You can hear the sadness in his voice.

“Then why was Barsad alone, why didn’t you want to see me?” He gently pulls your face from his neck and wipes the tears from your face. “Because I do not deserve to, and I do not deserve your tears. I know about you and Dr. Crane.” Your eyes go wide and a wave of panic washes over you. “Please don’t hurt him. I swear to you I’ll stop, I’ll break it off. Just please don’t hurt him.”

He holds your face gently in his large hands. “Calm down. I have hurt you enough. I would not hurt you again. No harm will come to Dr. Crane, I promise you this. You deserve happiness, if you found it with him then so be it.” The tears start streaming down your face again. “I never stopped loving you. I still love you Bane. But it’s been 6 years and I lost hope of you ever leaving Talia and coming to me. I’ve been true to you this entire time until Jonathan. I swear.”

He wipes your eyes again. “I know my love, I believe you. But you do not owe me an explanation. I am the one that put our lives on separate paths. My love for you has never wavered, and I will always love you. I am sorry for the pain I have caused you.”

You put your hands on either side of his mask and run your thumbs across his cheek bones. "How do you know about Jonathan? Nobody knows. No one….except Harleen. That bitch, some friend she turned out to be."

"Talia got the information out of her. How she got the information I do not know."

You rest your head on his shoulder and hold your hand over his heart. Talia was probably exstatic to share that information with Bane. You need to change the subject for now. “Tell me what’s wrong with your mask. And don’t be mad at Barsad for telling me, you knew he would.”

He exhales slowly which echoes through the mask. “I am not sure what is wrong with it. I think the gas may be leaking. It started after I had a scuffle with the CIA on a plane.”

“I’m not even going to ask. I have a few of the short acting injections with me. May I give you one so you can take the mask off then I can examine it?”

“Of course.” 

You open your medical kit and pull out the short acting injection and inject it into his arm. You wait a few moments to give it a chance to spread through his body. You reach for his mask, but look him in the eyes before you pull on the straps. He nods his head at you giving you the okay. So you slowly lift the mask off revealing his handsome face that you’ve missed so much. After you set the mask down you put your hands on his face and crash your lips against his. As he kisses you back with fervor you feel whole again. He feels like home to you. He wraps his arms around you never wanting the kiss to end. You’re not sure how long it lasts. It was minutes but it felt like hours. 

He slowly breaks the kiss and presses his forehead to yours. “(Y/N) I meant everything I said. You are the only woman I will ever love, but you need to understand nothing has changed. If I could turn back the clocks of time I would make a different choice. But since I cannot I need to finish the path I have put myself on.” You nod your head against his. You already knew that, but you just missed him so much. You say barely above a whisper. “I know.” You kiss him gently once more and then climb off his lap. The sadness in his eyes is clear as day to you. 

You dry your eyes and pick up his mask and start examining it. You quickly find what’s causing the leak and pull a few tools out of your medical kit and repair it. It takes all of five minutes for you to fix. But you built it for him so you know every piece inside and out. “Now how long has this been leaking?” He shrugs his shoulders. “A few months.” You roll your eyes, stubborn man. You hand it back to him and give him a smug smile. “All fixed. Your months of pain took five minutes for me to fix.” He shakes his head at you and gives you a small smile. Before he puts the mask back on he gently grasps your arm and pulls you to him. His lips find yours one last time. You pour all your love for each other into the kiss.

He puts his mask back on and starts a fire when he sees you're shivering. It’s really cold in these tunnels. Although your shivering isn’t entirely from the cold. He gives you the chair he was sitting in and kneels next to you in front of the fire. Suddenly there’s a loud noise bellowing through the tunnels, it sounded like an explosion. Bane doesn’t even seem phased by it. You can hear men yelling. Moments later two men come in dragging a man by his arms. You immediately recognize the man. It’s Commissioner Gordon. The two men drop him on the ground behind Bane. Gordon is face down on the hard cement floor; you're not sure if he is unconscious or not.

“Why are you here?” Bane asks tursely. The stupid guy on the right of Gordon kicks him telling him to answer Bane, but you know he wasn’t talking to Gordon. Bane still has his back turned to the men. “I was asking you.”

“It’s the police commissioner.” The stupid guy says like it should be obvious. Bane slowly stands up, clearly annoyed. “And you brought him down here?”

The guy of the left who has been quiet speaks up. “We didn’t know what to do. We just--” Bane cuts him off. “You panicked and your weakness has cost the lives of three others.” Stupid guy starts talking again, and you know its going to end badly for him. “He’s alone.” Bane grabs the stupid guy by the throat and crushes his wind pipe and snaps his neck with one hand. His limp body drops to the floor. Bane looks to the other man. “Search him and then I will kill you.”

You haven’t said anything yet. You’re not going to let them hurt Gordon, but you’re trying to understand what's happening first. Also some movement in the shadows caught your attention. You can see a woman watching and immediately know its Selina Kyle, but no one else has noticed her presence. 

The guy leans down on the floor and starts searching through Gordon’s jacket. He pulls out some papers and a gun. As he hands it to Bane, Commissioner Gordon rolls himself off a ledge into the flowing water. The surrounding men start shooting and you quickly stand up yelling at them to stop. There was no blood, you know Gordon is okay. This other guy is just as stupid as the first though. He tells Bane he’s dead.

Bane practically scoffs. “So show me his body.”

“But the water runs to any one of the outflows we’ll never find him.”

Barsad came back into the room when he heard the commotion. He’s standing close by watching. Bane pokes the guy in his chest with his large fingers. “Follow him.” Then he shoots the guy with the gun he took from Gordon. Bane turns back to you like nothing happened. 

The years Bane has spent with Talia obviously haven’t done him any favors. Those men were quite stupid but they didn’t deserve to die for it. 

You however are very worried. You hope Gordon is okay, but he saw you before he rolled himself into the water. “Gordon saw me. He’s going to tell “Batman”. Wayne’s already trying to figure out who I really am.” It still baffles you Gordon hasn’t figured out who Batman is.

Bane cups your cheek. “You’ve done nothing wrong or illegal. You are simply a wife having a conversation with her husband. I however think he was too dazed to actually make out who you were. It happened too quickly. And you need not worry about Wayne, I have plans for him.” Your heart skips a beat hearing him call you his wife.

“What are you going to do with him?” Even though he has his mask on now you can tell he’s smiling. “Send him home.” He’s not talking about Nanda Parbat, he's talking about the Pit. You should probably feel bad, but Bruce Wayne just rubs you the wrong way. You smirk at Bane. “Good place for him.”

You decide you should probably get out of there. Police must be everywhere by now looking for the Commissioner. You’ve done what you came to do. And you have a sneaky cat woman to visit. She heard Bane call you his wife, and took off shortly after that.

As you're about to say your goodbye’s you hear a voice you really didn’t want to hear. “Well, well, well, look what the sewer dragged in.” You roll your eyes. Fucking Talia. You’re not in the mood for this. 

“I’m on my way out Talia, just go away.” She puts her hand to her chest trying to act wounded by your words. “Is that anyway to talk to your little sister? Or to the leader of the League of Shadows. I am your superior. You should show me respect.”

You scoff and give her a humorless laugh. “You are superior to nothing and no one. That has always been your problem Talia. You think because you were born in a hole in the ground the entire world owes you retribution. News flash Talia, nobody cares about your sad story anymore. You overplayed that tune a long time ago.”

She narrows her eyes at you, her voice full of venom. “You’re just jealous that father made me part of the league. He trained me to be a fearless assassin. While you stayed safely locked away in your pretend hospital. And your jealous Bane chose me.” 

Then she comes charging at you. You quickly grab her by her throat when she gets close enough and make her lose her footing, knocking her to the ground. You lean down on her with a knee in her chest and your hand still around her throat. Your free hand you drop a knife out of your sleeve and hold it next to her eye. When you start talking you make sure everyone in the room can hear you. “Come at me again and I’ll carve your eye out. You always seem to forget father trained me too and I’ve always been a better fighter than you. You let your emotions get the best of you in a fight. Now I’m going to tell you something you never figured out and I know Bane wouldn’t have the heart to tell you. What is the first concept father taught every league member? Hmm? Did you pay attention in assassin class? Obviously not, otherwise you wouldn’t be bragging. Lesson one Talia is every league member is expendable. I wasn’t a league member because I wasn’t expendable to our father, but you however were.”

You see here eyes go wide. Ha! Suck on that Talia. “Liar!! Lying bitch!” She tries yelling with your hand around her throat. “I may be many things Talia, but a liar has never been one of them. But you certainly are. I find it quite funny that you did something so awful the leader of a group of assassins who also happens to be your father excommunicates you. Then in your hidden shame you tell everyone it was Bane that was excommunicated and not you.” You lean closer to her ear so only she can hear you. “As for Bane. You’ll never know the feeling of having ALL of him. I know him in ways you never will. And let me tell you, that man is a stallion in the bedroom.” She tries kicking and clawing her way out from under you. So you just squeeze her throat harder and move the knife closer. “Have you noticed that Bane hasn’t come to your rescue. Maybe he’s sick of your shit too.” You push yourself off her. She quickly jumps to her feet. So you hold the knife out in front of you. “Now I can leave here peacefully or you can come at me and I carve your eye out like I promised and I still leave here. Lady’s choice Talia.” 

She rolls her shoulders and huffs. “This isn’t over you stupid lying bitch! I have more important things to do than deal with your jealousy.” Then she storms away.

You see several men including Barsad trying to hold back their smiles and laughter. You turn around and Bane is standing behind you with his arms crossed. “What? She started it. She came at me. I had every intention of walking away.” You hear him sigh heavily in his mask. “I know. I am not angry with you. I am actually rather amused.” Then you can tell he’s smiling. There’s the man you love so much. You go give Bane one last hug. It’s a long hug because you don’t want to let go and don’t know if or when you’ll see him again. 

He starts talking as you’re still squeezing his large body. “Can you deliver a message to Ms. Kyle when you go see her?” You smile against his chest. Nothing gets past him. You should have known. “Sure. What’s the message?”

“Take Barsad with you and he will present her with the offer I am giving her.” You don’t even ask what that means. You’ll find out soon enough. After he releases his hold on you, you pull him down by his neck and kiss his forehead. “Good bye my love.” You whisper to him and walk away with Barsad with tears welling in your eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didn't notice I hated Talia in the Dark Knight Rises movie.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little conversation with catwoman about her eavesdropping.
> 
> Then some angst and some sexy time coming up.

CHAPTER 14

  
  


Sitting in the darkness feels scary to many people. But you aren’t like most people. You’re comfortable in the dark. You’re sitting on Selina Kyle’s couch with your head resting on Barsad’s shoulder waiting for her to come home. Breaking into her apartment was surprisingly easy. You and Barsad came through a window near a fire escape and have been sitting quietly in the darkness ever since.

Finally you hear the sounds of keys jingling and a lock being turned. She opens the door and you hear the sound of a gun being cocked. You roll your eyes. “Calm down kitten, we’re just here to talk. No reason to get violent.”

She walks into the room swaying her hips. She's wearing a tight black dress and a beautiful pearl necklace around her neck, the gun’s still in her hand but she uncocked it. “Who did you steal the pearls from?” She gives you a bright smile and runs her fingers across the pearls. “Right out of Bruce Wayne's safe, took his car too.”

You can’t help but laugh at that. Batman got robbed by Catwoman. “Kudos to you Selina, nice work. You were busy after you were done slinking around in the sewers.” She just shrugs her shoulders. “Girl’s gotta stay busy to pay the bills, and also be aware of new assassins in town. Gotta say though Annie which I’m guessing that’s not your real name. You were the last person I expected to find there. You here to threaten me to keep my mouth shut?”

“No not at all. I know you have had some run-ins with the Batman. I need to know if you told him or plan to tell him?”

She flips her long dark brown hair over her shoulder. “He helped me out of a tough situation recently, so I owed him a favor. Yes I already told him earlier.” This baffles you as well. With how clever she is, you would think she would have figured out who Batman is.

You nod your head at her. “Thank you for your honesty. Not that it really matters, but you should know I am no longer affiliated with the people you saw. Tonight is the first time I saw my husband in six years. We’ve been separated for personal reasons. And for the record my middle name is Ann, but I’m not going to tell you my real name. I really am just working in Gotham as a nurse, no ulterior or hidden motives.”

She nods her head in understanding then turns her eyes towards Barsad. “What about you? You and your boss keep trying to kill me.” You quirk your eyebrow at him. He gives you a small smile and shrugs. “Bane has an offer for you. Should you accept we will leave you alone.”

“Okay you have my attention. What’s the offer?”

“You lead Batman to a location we disclose to you on the date we tell you. You say nothing until we give you the order. No warning him. If you do, the deal is off.”

She crosses her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes. “Sounds too easy what’s the catch?”

“No catch. Just lead him when and where we tell you and don’t tell him it’s a trap. Then you will be left alone.”

She extends her hand and smiles deviously. “You got yourself a deal.” Barsad shakes her hand. “We’ll be in touch.” With that you and Barsad leave.

Barsad walks you home. He walks you all the way inside your apartment to make sure that you’re safe. Not that he needs to worry about that but you appreciate the gesture. He pulls you to him and hugs you tight. You don’t want him to leave either, you have missed him so much. “Barsad promise me you won’t leave without saying goodbye.”

“I promise. You will see me again sister, don’t worry.” He kisses the top of your head and finally leaves. You go to your bedroom and face plant onto the bed, what a day you have had. You’re fast asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.

The next morning as you’re getting ready for work you keep playing last night's events over and over in your head. Then the guilt hits you that you didn’t even think twice about kissing Bane. You kissed Bane a lot and very passionately a few times. So did you cheat on Jonathan if you were kissing your husband? Technically you’re cheating on your husband with Jonathan. This whole situation is making your head hurt. Regardless the circumstance you know Jonathan will be hurt, and you don't know if you should tell him or what you should tell him. You don’t want to lie, but what would the truth do to his mental health? By the time you get to work you have yourself all wound up and frazzled.

As you do your morning rounds all of your patients can tell that you’re not your bright and fun loving self. Especially Jonathan. You have too much going on in your mind, and so much happened so fast you just don’t want to talk. So you try to play it off as being tired and worn out. Which is a half truth.

You get so emotionally overwhelmed at one point you go into an empty office and just cry. You missed your husband so much it hurts, but like he said nothing has changed. You care about Jonathan, in fact you’re pretty sure you're in love with him. You just haven’t said it out loud. Your heart feels torn in two. Can you love two men with half a heart? Once you feel like you’ve done enough crying you clean up your face the best you can. But your eyes are red and puffy now. 

As you’re sitting at the nurses station trying to write in your patient’s charts you feel eyes on you. So you turn your head and see Mary with her arms crossed giving you her signature mom face. “What’s going on with you today? Don’t you dare say nothing. Something is clearly wrong.” Should you tell her? Maybe talking to someone else about it will help. Obviously you can’t give her all the details, but you can make it vague enough for her to understand.

“I saw my husband for the first time in six years last night.” Your voice is raspy from your previous crying session. Mary’s jaw practically drops to the floor. You never talk about your private life, especially anything related to family. She scurries around the desk and sits in the chair next to you. “Sweetheart, I didn’t even know you were married. Are you divorced?”

You shake your head no. “We’ve been separated. I’m still deeply in love with him, and I know he loves me. But life events came between us. I left and he didn’t come with me, so we haven’t seen each other in six years. My adopted brother showed up at my apartment who I also haven’t seen in six years, I didn’t even know they were in town. He took me to see him. Then my husband tells me how much he loves me but nothing has changed so we still can’t be together. It just tore open old wounds that I thought were finally healing.”

Mary puts her arms around you and hugs you as the tears well up in your eyes again. “Oh sweetheart I’m so sorry. I didn’t even know you had a brother. Now I understand why you don’t talk about your family, it hurts too much doesn’t it.” You just nod your head against her shoulder.

“That’s not all that's troubling you though is it?” You don’t move or say anything. You’re not sure what else to tell her. “You fell in love with someone else and now you feel guilty. Am I right? That’s why you haven’t looked Crane in the eyes all day.” You pull away from her like you’ve been burned and your eyes go wide. Maybe from all your exhaustion you’re having auditory hallucinations now. There’s no way she just said what you thought you heard.

“I may be slow Annie, but I’m not stupid. I don’t quite understand it, but I’m not going to judge you or tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about. You two make each other better. His mental health has amazingly improved and you are actually happy. You don’t seem so sad and lonesome anymore.”

You let out the breath you didn’t realize you were holding. “Mary…..I. Thank you.” You wipe the tears off your face. “My mother died a long time ago. I know you’re not that much older than me but you’ve always been the mom voice of reason I need sometimes. And one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I’m sorry for not telling you. I just didn’t know how.” She puts her hand on top of yours. “I know Annie, it’s okay. I think I’ve learned more about you today than I have the entire time I’ve known you. Now go talk to Crane, his sad puppy eyes are killing me.”

You chuckle at that. “I know, that’s why I can’t look at them.” You hug Mary once more and head down to Jonathan’s door. You knock quietly and you can already see his sad eyes through the window. You take a deep breath before walking inside. Here goes nothing you think to yourself.

Jonathan hesitantly scoots over on the bed, not sure if you’ll sit down. You didn’t this morning when he tried talking to you. He doesn’t say anything, just looks at you sadly. Finally you walk towards the bed and take a seat next to him with your back against the wall like him, and lay your head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry.” You whisper to him. 

“Will you tell me why you have been crying? Please?” He says to you just above a whisper. You bite your lip as you’re thinking, trying to find the right words. “Remember the day after you first kissed me? I told you there were things about my past I should probably tell you, but you stopped me and said it wasn’t necessary.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Okay, in order for me to tell you what is wrong I will need to explain my past to you.” He stays silent for a moment while he thinks it over.

“I would really like to know why you are so sad. If you tell me what you need to about your past, I’ll tell you something from mine. It’s only fair.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I want you to understand that. I know it hurts you to even think about it. Just because I tell you something doesn’t mean you have to.” You take his hand and lace your fingers together and start telling him about your former life. You tell him about Barsad, Talia, and Bane. Your life in Nanda Parbat and what led to you leaving and Bane not coming with you. 

Then you tell him everything about last night, including kissing Bane. Since you’re telling him everything you might as well throw it all out there. Once you finish your story you just sit there quietly and wait to see what he’s going to say about it. He pulls his hand away from yours which makes you feel a pang in your chest. He gets up and starts pacing the room, occasionally running a hand through his hair. 

“You are married. Married to the masked mercenary Bane.”

“Yes, but not legally. Only in the eyes of the league. It’s a ceremony they do called the joining of souls. So in the eyes of the law I am very much single.”

“And you’re still in love with each other and kissed last night.” 

If he doesn't calm down soon Scarecrow is going to come out and you really don't want that.

“He didn’t choose me Jonathan. He let me leave without him. He chose to stay with Talia, and will always choose her no matter how he feels about me. And I apologize if I hurt you by kissing him. Everything just happened so fast last night and it was all so unexpected.” 

He continues walking back and forth around the room. His erratic pacing is really starting to annoy you.

“But you love him. I told you I knew I would lose you to someone else.”

You stand up and cross your arms, you’ve had enough of this. “I love you too you fool!” He instantly stops pacing and whips his head around in your direction looking at you with wide eyes. “What did you just say?”

This time you say it much nicer and without yelling. “I said I love you. I love you Jonathan Crane.” He rushes across the room to you, putting his hands on your hips and pushing you until your back hits the wall. He crashes his lips into yours and holds your body flush against his. When he pulls back he’s looking at you seriously. “I love you too (Y/N).” That makes your heart skip a beat. You smile at him and put your hands on the back of his neck pulling him back in for another kiss. 

The kiss quickly gets heated. Jonathan slips his hands under your shirt and runs his hands all over your skin. You can feel his hard length pressing against your hip. “I want you so badly.” He gasps out and then attaches his lips to your neck. “I want you too, but I don’t want our first time together to be in here. I want it to mean something. But I have an idea for something else we can do.”

He briefly detaches his lips from your skin so he can see your face and gives you a questioning look. You slip your hand inside his sweat pants and boxer briefs and firmly grip his hard, thick length. He gasps as he feels you touch him. Then you take one of his hands and slip it into your panties. You look into his lust blown eyes. “Touch me Jonathan.” He slips his hand down further and slides two of his fingers through your already very wet folds. You bite your lip and moan quietly. 

You start moving your hand stroking his length at a steady pace. He drops his forehead to your shoulder to try and muffle his moan. He slowly slips a finger inside you moving it in and out several times. “More.” You gasp out. So he slides a second finger inside you. It's been so long since you've been touched like that. It feels so good you start grinding against his hand.

You’re panting into his neck. “Do you want fast or slow?”

“Faster.” He gasps out against your shoulder. You do what he asks and start stroking him faster. He started thrusting his fingers in and out faster. When he pulls out he rubs your clit before pushing them back inside you. “Jonathan I’m close.” He lifts his face from your shoulder. “Me too.” Then crashes his lips against yours. It’s a sloppy kiss, all tongue and teeth. You groan into his mouth and he feels your walls spasming around his fingers. You try to keep quiet as he pushes you over the edge and you reach your climax. He comes shortly after you do. Doing the same thing you did trying to keep his moaning quiet. You feel the warmth of his release as he comes in your hand.

He rests his forehead against yours with his eyes closed and you're both just breathing heavily coming down from your highs. 

You tilt your head up to capture his lips for a quick but sweet kiss. Then remove your hand from his pants. He does the same but pulls his shirt off. He cleans up your hand and wipes the small mess on his stomach. You have never actually seen him with his shirt off. You're practically drooling. He has very fair skin but he's in shape, with toned muscles and has freckles littered all over his body. 

You're imagining running your tongue across every bit of skin you reach. You finally calm down and come to your senses when he puts a clean shirt on covering up his beautiful body.

You guys got way off track from your prior conversation. "Jonathan, are we alright? Am I forgiven?"

He gently grabs your hand and pulls you onto his lap when he sits back on the bed. "You really want to be with a mess of a man like me?"

You frown and kiss his forehead. "You are not a mess of a man. You are extremely intelligent, handsome, funny, and most importantly you make me happy. So yes I want to be with you. I meant what I said. I love you. I'm sorry for hurting you."

"I love you too. There's no one else like you, and I don't ever want to be without you. I can't be angry at you for kissing your husband, I'm technically the other man aren't I?" 

You sigh dramatically and roll your eyes. He ignores you and keeps talking. "You say you want to be with me then I believe you. Given the complicated circumstances, yes you are forgiven. I trust you, you could have easily lied and I would have never known."

"I don't want to lie to you or keep things from you. You can't have a relationship based on lies. The truth always comes out eventually."

"I couldn't agree more sweetheart." He puts his hands on your face and pulls you in for a kiss.

"Did I help with some of your sexual frustrations? I know it helped me." You say teasingly to lighten the mood.

He chuckles at you. "Yes I'd say so. But it also just made me want you more. I do agree with what you said though. I don't want our first time together to be in a mental hospital."

You put your lips next to his ear. "I guess we'll just have to find other ways to satisfy each other until then." You nibble on his ear and make him fall backwards, flat on the bed.

"Don't tempt me my dear. My will power only goes so far." Then he starts mercilessly tickling you. As you're squealing and begging for mercy, you're also thinking how much you love this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, no dirty smut yet. We're getting there. I promise.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan is going to talk about his childhood in this chapter. Scarecrow has a couple different origin stories. I decided to go with the one that was used on the Gotham TV show. It fit my story best. I changed a couple details.
> 
> If you haven't seen it and want to, it's Season 1 Episode 15.

CHAPTER 15

  
  


Batman pursues criminals responsible for attacking the stock exchange. That's what has been playing on the news over and over for almost 24 hours. This is why you don't normally watch the news. But the man wearing a red motorcycle helmet in the surveillance video caught your eye. The shape of the man, the way he moved and carried himself you immediately knew it was Bane. You did find it funny that Batman with all his fancy toys couldn't catch Bane or any of the men with him.

Why was the league at a stock exchange anyway? That's not really their style.

You ponder that as you're walking to work. It's getting too cold out. Today will definitely be your last day walking. 

Once you get to your floor you go get a hot cup of coffee to warm yourself up. Theo suddenly pops by carrying a newspaper. "I swear Theo if you are carrying a newspaper to show me a Batman symbol or anything Batman related I'm kicking your ass out of here."

He chuckles at you. "So fiesty this morning. Did you see the news about Bruce Wayne? He's poor like the rest of us now. I bet the guy doesn't even know how to wipe his own ass."

You let out a weird snorting laugh. It is Batman related but he doesn't know that. "I agree. But what are you talking about?"

He opens up the newspaper. There's a headline that says "Bruce Wayne doubles down and loses." He did some bad trading and lost all of Wayne Enterprises money and handed the company over to Miranda Tate. You're taking a sip of your coffee as you are glancing at it and see a picture. It's of Bruce Wayne and Miranda Tate. Except Miranda Tate is actually Talia.

You're so caught off guard by the photo you choke and spit your coffee out and it soaks the newspaper. "What the hell Annie? I wasn't done reading that."

Once you're done coughing and choking you wipe the coffee off your face. "Sorry, coffee was hot."

He walks away grumbling about having to buy a new one. You kind of tuned him out, busy with your own internal monologue. Well that explains the whole stock exchange thing. Maybe Talia wants to take everything from him before throwing him in the Pit? Maybe she'll fall in with him. Let's see her ass climb out a second time. It won't happen, but a girl can dream right?

It's still a little before your shift so you go down to Jonathan's room. He smiles bright, his eyes light up when he sees you. "Morning sweetheart." 

"Morning handsome." You give him a kiss before you sit down next to him on the bed. He sees the still wet newspaper you have tucked under your arm. "What do you have there?"

You hand him the newspaper, but he doesn't grab it right away. "I accidentally spit coffee on it."

He smiles and takes the newspaper. "Okay, why did you do that? And what am I looking at?" You point to the picture of Bruce and Talia. He looks at you questioningly. "I'm guessing it's not Bruce Wayne you're pointing at. So who is Miranda Tate?"

"Her real name is Talia Al Ghul."

He raises his eyebrows. "That's your evil half sister? What's she doing with Bruce Wayne?"

"I prefer cunty half sister, but evil works too. It seems her and the league are robbing Batman blind."

You never told him you knew who Batman was, and he never asked. You can tell the moment he realizes what you just said. He points to Bruce Wayne. "This rich pompous son of a bitch is Batman?! Are you fucking kidding me?!"

You laugh at his reaction. "Well he's not rich anymore. But yes Bruce Wayne is Batman."

Jonathan shakes his head and laughs. "Well I’ll be damned. Now I'm embarrassed that's who apprehended me. How did you know who he was?"

You tell him about Bruce being a former league member, what happened between him and your father. Also how you expect him to show up anytime now since Selina Kyle told him you're Bane's wife.

After he takes in everything you tell him he's quiet for a few minutes.You’re worried you said something to upset him. "Jonathan? You alright?"

"Yes. I was just thinking. You've told me so much of your past which has made me feel closer to you and understand you better. I want to do the same for you. I want to tell you things I've never told anyone."

You grab his hand and lace your fingers together. "Only if you're sure. I'm all ears if you're ready."

Jonathan leans his head back against the wall and takes a couple deep breaths. "When I was 8 there was a fire in my childhood home. My mother was trapped upstairs. My father was paralyzed with fear and couldn't save her. She died in the fire, while he listened to her screams. After that my father became obsessed with the concept of fear. He had a Ph.D. in human biology, and was convinced he could create a formula to make the body immune to fear."

He pauses and takes a few more deep breaths. You gently put your arms around him and pull his body down so he lays his head in your lap. Then you start running your fingers through his hair. It always calms him down when you do that. You don't say anything, you just wait until he's ready to continue.

He exhales slowly and goes on with his story. "My father experimented on people. The experiment would always end with the person dying. He killed them right in front of me. He would find out what a particular person feared most and exploit it. Like if someone was afraid of heights he would hang them off the side of a ten story building. Or if they were afraid of water he would hold them underwater in a pool until they almost drowned. Once the person was overcome with fear he would harvest their adrenal glands and extract the hormones that were induced.

He would use me as a lab rat for all his formulas he wanted to test. When I got too scared he would lock me in closets or a dark basement telling me how weak I was. When I was 14 he thought he finally perfected the formula and started injecting himself. I tried running away once. I couldn’t stand the thought of being injected with that horrible concoction anymore. I only made it to the backyard. He caught up to me and I fell on the ground. Then he injected me with a concentrated dose, ten times more potent than the regular dose. It induced an indescribable amount of terror. When I fell I was lying underneath this old scarecrow that had been in the backyard for years. I hallucinated that thing for weeks."

You can feel the tears dripping down his face. You wipe his tears away, and whisper to him. "That's when Scarecrow came to be isn't it?"

He just nods his head. "So Scarecrow wanted the opposite of what your father was trying to accomplish? He wanted to spread fear so everyone would have to feel the fear you endured. That's also why he is so angry."

Jonathan rolls onto his back so he can look you in the eyes. He gives you a sad watery smile. "I knew you would understand. You're the only one that understands me, and really sees me."

"I see you Jonathan, and I love every part of you. I’m sorry you endured things no child should. But you’re not weak, you are strong." He sits up so he can kiss you. He kisses you pouring all his love for you into it. You wrap your arms around his neck. He eventually pulls back just enough so you can both breathe. "I love you so much (Y/N)."

  
  


That evening when you're walking home you keep thinking about what Jonathan told you. He went through things no child should have to go through. He's slowly overcome the damage his father did. He still has a lot more recovering to do. But knowing his story shows you just how strong he really is.

As you're walking down an alley headed towards your apartment all the street lamps suddenly go out. You roll your eyes. "Theatricality and deception are not powerful agents against me. And I don't fear darkness. How about you cut the dramatic bullshit and come out."

You can hear him jumping down from a rooftop. He's going to try and pin you against the wall. Following your instincts you move at just the right moment dodging his grasp and he runs himself right into a brick wall. You sigh in annoyance. "I warned you bat boy."

Suddenly the street lamps turn back on. He's trying to tower over you to make you feel small. You just cross your arms and tap your foot on the ground. 

"You lied to me. You said you weren't a member of the League of Shadows."

"Okay bat boy tell me what you think you know."

He narrows his eyes at you. "You are the wife of the mask mercenary Bane. Bane is the child of Ra's Al Ghul that was born in the Pit and escaped the Pit and was eventually excommunicated from the League by Ra’s Al Ghul himself. Based on your fighting style you were either trained by Ra’s Al Ghul or your husband."

You burst into uncontrollable laughter. Laughing so hard your stomach hurts and your eyes water. "Oh man, thank you I needed a good laugh. Whoever you got those facts from is a horrible source. If you paid for that information you should get a refund especially since you're poor now. Only one thing you said was even remotely true."

He takes a step towards you. "This isn't a game! Why is the league back in Gotham? What are you planning?"

"I don't know. I'm not a league member."

"Stop lying!"

"Listen here bat boy I'm not lying I'm not a league member. Bane is my husband but we've been separated for 6 years."

"Then straighten out the facts and start making sense."

You check your watch and yawn. You are so bored with this, and its’s fucking cold outside. He's going to keep bothering you if you don't give him something. "I'll throw you a bone because you're so painfully clueless. I am not nor have I ever been a league member. I was their doctor until I left 6 years ago. When I left my husband didn’t come with me. I started a new life and have been working as a nurse ever since. No affiliation with the league, I’ve been on my own."

"I was training with Ra's Al Ghul then. I never saw you."

You scoff. "Ya well you never saw Bane either. You never came to the medical wing. I saw you though, how do you think I knew your real identity."

Bruce just stares at you for a moment, like he’s trying to read you. “Tell me about Bane.”

“No.”

He huffs in annoyance. “Why are you being loyal to the man you left? He’s a monster leading a gang of psychopaths.”

His words hit all the wrong buttons. In a fit of rage you drop a blade out of your sleeve and swiftly hold it under his chin where his ridiculous costume doesn’t protect him. “You know nothing! Bane is not a monster and they are not psychopaths! They are lost and misguided men. What happened to me and Bane is none of your fucking business. I love him and will always be loyal to him. I will tell you nothing about him. I could easily jam my blade into your throat to shut you up, but I’m not a murderer like you!” Your words are full of hatred and anger.

He looks at you surprised, completely caught off guard. “I have never murdered anyone.” You scoff at that and press a little harder with your blade. “No you just leave a man to die on a train that you crashed. The train killed him, not you right? Is that what you tell yourself? If I slit your throat with this blade I could say I didn’t kill you the blade did with your kind of logic.” You shove him away angrily and pull your blade back into your sleeve. “That’s all you're going to get out of me. If you want to fight me fine. But after I’m done beating your ass I will unmask you for all of Gotham to see.”

Without another word he takes off into the darkness.

That’s the last time you or Gotham saw Batman. He disappeared after that night. You assumed Bane did what he told you he was going to do, take him home.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is to tie up the whole squabble between Eddie and Oswald before other shit starts happening in Gotham. 
> 
> I also threw in some jealous Jonathan for fun.

CHAPTER 16

  
  


It's fall, almost Halloween in fact. Your patients ganged up and begged you to let them celebrate Halloween. They wanted to put up decorations and things like that. You made them promise no making any bats or scarecrows, those two are off limits. They happily agreed.

So you're all sitting in the rec room making decorations. Everyone except Carmine, he saw a crow in the window again. That poor old man spends more time sedated than awake. So you brought Jonathan out since Carmine is in his room.

Eddie and Oz have been making different things seeking praise from you. You still haven't brought up what Jonathan told you about them. You want to witness it yourself now that you're more aware.

Each time you praise one the other one glares. Once you've had enough of their glaring contest you speak up.

"What gets broken if it's not kept?"

Eddie perks up. "That's an easy one Annie. A promise."

"If it's so easy then why are you two breaking your promise to me right now?"

You see them exchange confused looks. "You two have been throwing dirty looks at each other for the last 20 minutes."

You hear some snickering and look over your shoulder. Victor is painting and Digger is sitting next to him drawing with crayons. They are laughing at Eddie and Oz which isn't helping. So you throw them a look and they instantly stop when they see the look on your face and go back to what they were doing.

Jonathan is sitting across from you biting his lip fighting his own smile. 

You turn your attention back to the boys you were scolding. Eddie gives you his sad face which almost rivals Jonathan's. "I'm sorry Annie. I'll behave, please don't be mad."

Oz slumps his shoulders. "I apologize for my poor behavior nurse Annie."

"Then show me instead of telling me." They go back to making their decorations. They did stop glaring at each other so that was a small miracle. After a while you notice Eddie has been really quiet. He hates awkward silences.

"Eddie? You okay?"

"What can you catch but not throw?"

"Umm...a cold? Are you feeling sick?"

He nods his head and you notice his cheeks are a little pink. You get up from your chair and walk over to him and put the back of your hand on his forehead. "You feel warm Eddie. Let's go check your temperature."

You gently grab his hand and pull him up from his chair. Once he's standing you go to release his hand but he grips your hand a little tighter. Not wanting to argue, and not really seeing any harm in it you let him hold your hand.

You called Mary in to watch the rest of your patients while you take care of Eddie. She sees Oz and Jonathan glaring intensely at your and Eddie's joined hands. She just shakes her head to herself and smiles.

When you check Eddie's temperature you confirm you were right he has a fever. So you give him some medicine and take him back to his room. 

"Annie, will you stay with me for a little while?" He's so adorable when he's sick. He's like a helpless child.

"Of course Eddie." He lays down on the bed. You sit next to him, your back against the head of the bed. Then gently run your fingers through his hair. He told you once it was something his mother used to do when he was sick. He was very young when his mother died. After he told you about his mother you started doing it anytime he was sick.

"If you’ve got me, you want to share me; if you share me, you haven’t kept me. What am I?"

You chuckle, even when he’s sick with a fever he tells riddles. "A secret. Do you have a secret?"

He shakes his head no. "I think I know your secret."

"Okay I'll bite. What's my secret?"

He gives you a small smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "You love Jonathan and he loves you."

Your hand stops moving. You're not sure what to say to that. Apparently you and Jonathan are far more obvious than you thought. First Mary and now Eddie pointing out your feelings for Jonathan.

"It's okay Annie. I'll keep your secret. I just wanted to tell you that I knew. That's all."

You resume running your fingers through his hair. "Can I tell you one of your secrets that I think I know Eddie?"

You feel him nod his head against your hand. "The ongoing little feud between you and Oz has been about me." You look down so you can see his face. He looks sad.

"I'll stop Annie. I'm sorry, I know you don't love me."

Oh he is breaking your heart. "Eddie, look at me sweetie. That's where you're wrong. I do love you. Not the way I love Jonathan. But the way you love your family or a best friend. You're special to me Eddie. I care about you and I love you."

You wipe the tears that were starting to fall from his eyes. "Do you really mean that Annie?" You smile and nod your head yes.

He gives you a watery smile. "I love you too Annie. Nobody has ever cared about me or understands me like you do."

"Can you live with a friendship kind of love?"

He dries his eyes and gives you a true smile. "I can live with that. If I were to ever be let out of here would you still be my friend outside of Arkham?"

"Of course Eddie. I promise." He sits up so he can give you a hug. He squeezes you tight. "Thank you Annie."

When he lays back down you go back to running your fingers through his hair. Eddie eventually falls asleep. You're glad you had that talk with him. Now you need to have the same talk with Oswald.

When you get back to the rec room both Oswald and Jonathan are scowling to themselves. You'll have to deal with Jonathan later. For now you take Oswald to his room so you can talk to him.

"Nurse Annie I said I was sorry are you still upset with me?"

"No Oz of course not. I just had a good talk with Eddie and I think I need to have the same one with you. I know your constant squabbling with Eddie has been about me."

Oswald's mouth drops open in shock and his eyes go wide. "So…..you...you're just trying to let me down easy then? Why would you like a freak like me anyway right?"

"Oz that's not true, please sit down and hear me out." You sit next to him on the edge of his bed. "First of all you are not a freak. Now I don't have romantic feelings for you. But I care about you and I do love you. Love you like you were my own family. Friends can love each other. Eddie said he could live with that. Can you be my friend and love me as a friend? And I don't mean only within these walls. Even outside of Arkham."

You can see tears welling in his eyes and he starts sniffling. But he nods his head and throws his arms around you. "Yes I can definitely live with that."

Towards the end of the day you finally get a moment alone with Jonathan in his room. "What's with the grumpy face you've been sporting all day?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

He's laying flat on his bed staring at the ceiling. Oh you are so not going to let him get away with that. You climb onto the bed and sit on top of him straddling his hips. Then put one hand on each side of his head and lean down. Your lips trace along his jaw and stop once you get to his ear.

You feel his breathing become faster. "I asked you a question Jonathan." His hands go to your hips. You nibble on his ear and kiss down his neck. Suddenly you sit upright and cross your arms.

"Oh that's just mean." He whines. You frown at him. "And so is lying to me."

You climb off his lap and lay next to him. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "I'm going to sound like a petulant child if I say it out loud."

You just lay there and wait patiently. He knows you're not going to let it go. "You were holding Nygma's hand." He says, sounding exasperated. Suddenly he feels the bed shaking and looks over just as you burst into laughter. "Real funny, laugh it up."

You eventually calm down. "I'm sorry but your jealousy face looks more like a constipated face." That makes him start laughing even though he's telling you it's not funny as he's laughing. 

You hold his face in your hands, and look into his beautiful blue eyes. "You have nothing to be jealous about handsome."

He rolls on top of you and rests his forehead against yours. "I know. But can you cut me a little slack. I didn't exactly get to be a normal teenager and have normal experiences. I'm a little behind."

You lean up a little to capture his lips for a kiss. "Neither did I. But yes I understand what you mean."

He presses his lips to yours and slides one hand around your waist under your shirt. So you slide both of your hands under his shirt and run your hands across his chest and back. His tongue runs along the seam of your lips, you get the hint and part your lips allowing him to slip his tongue into your mouth and deepen the kiss. The hand that was around your waist pushes your top up exposing part of your stomach and slips his hand under your bra to caress your breast. You groan into his mouth and he grinds against you in response.

He breaks the kiss and moves his lips to your neck. Then he props himself up on his knees. The hand that’s holding your breast moves down your body and stops at the top of your underwear. That’s his way of asking permission. “Yes. Yes please.” You pant out. Not needing to be told twice he slips his hand inside your underwear and slides his fingers through your soaking wet folds. He teases you by just sliding his fingers around your clit.

Getting impatient you thrust your hips up trying to get more friction. You feel him smile against your skin, but he finally relents and slips a finger inside you. You bite your lip trying to choke back a moan. “More.” You say breathlessly. He complies and adds a second finger. Then you slide your hand between your bodies and reach inside his boxer briefs to grip his rock hard length. 

His lips were still on your neck. So he just turns his head to cover his mouth with your shoulder to muffle his moans as you start stroking him. “I want to be inside you so badly (Y/N).”

“I know baby. Trust me I know.” Suddenly he adds a third finger and you throw your free hand over your mouth to silence yourself. He starts thrusting his fingers in and out faster so you start stroking him faster. Then he pays special attention to your clit making your eyes roll back. “Jonathan.” You gasp out. “Come for me sweetheart.” He whispers in your ears. You grind against his hand and he feels your walls tighten. Then you bite his shoulder, but not hard, as you reach your climax. Your grip on him tightens as you’re still stroking him, and he comes shortly after you. He comes all over your bare stomach.

Both of you have your faces buried in each other's shoulders as you try catching your breath coming down from your highs. You feel the warm mess on your stomach. “Do you feel better now that you marked your territory?” You tease.

He lifts his head so he can see your face. “Would you be terribly disgusted with me if I said yes?” You shake your head no and both of you burst into laughter.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shits about to go down in Gotham.

CHAPTER 17

  
  


Invisibility is an important tool used by the League of Shadows. You know how to make yourself invisible. But you also know how to sense when someone is lurking in the darkness trying to make themselves invisible. You awaken in the dark early hours of the morning with that feeling. Slowly you reach your hand under your pillow and grab your blade. Once you have it gripped tight in your hand you throw it with all your strength over your shoulder. The person in the darkness barely dodges the blade, but you have another one ready. Suddenly the light in your room is turned on revealing the intruder. 

“Barsad? What the fuck I could have killed you!” He gives you a sly smile. “Sorry. Good to know you haven’t gotten rusty with your skills though.”

You huff in annoyance and run a hand through your hair. “Are you here to say goodbye? I know Wayne is gone.” His face turns serious as he sits next to you on the bed. “No Bane sent me to warn you and get you out of town. Something will happen today trapping everyone in Gotham. Bane and I want to make sure you get out safely. So take your car, go get Dr. Crane, and leave Gotham.”

“But what is there left to do? Talia took everything from Bruce Wayne and threw him in the Pit. What about the rest of you? Are you and Bane going to be safe?” You start rambling a mile a minute, spewing out question after question. Barsad pulls you to him and hugs you tight trying to calm you down. “Calm down sister. I’m on a need to know basis with Talia remember? I never get told more than what they think I should know. But I did overhear they plan to release all the patients from Arkham, and eventually the inmates at Blackgate. It’s going to be chaos. Bane said to get you out of town, and drag you out myself if I had to. So I know it must be serious if he wants you to go so badly. He couldn’t come himself, he is somewhere with Talia.”

Barsad feels your body shaking and the wetness from your tears soaking through his shirt. He runs his hand up and down your back. “Talia must be picking up where our father left off. I just got you back Barsad. I don’t want to lose my brother again. Or Bane or anyone from the league. You’re my family. I release you from your promise to watch over Bane, he’s always going to blindly follow Talia. So please don’t make me lose you too.”

You can feel his tears dripping onto your skin now. “Go to your safehouse in the country. I know where it is. I will leave the league when this is all over and come find you. I don’t want to follow Talia anymore, but I don’t want to leave Bane just yet. He is my friend too. Are you agreeable to that?”

You pull out of his embrace so you can see his face, and wipe the tears stains off your own face. Looking him in the eyes you know he’s telling the truth, not that he would ever lie to you though. "Okay, how long do I have?"

He checks his watch. "55 minutes. You need to hurry and get across the bridge."

“Okay I just need to get dressed and grab a few things. Then I just have to sneak Jonathan out of Arkham which won’t be too difficult.” You hug each other tight one more time. “I love you brother please be safe.” He kisses the top of your head. “You as well sister. I love you too. Please hurry.”

After Barsad leaves you are hurrying to get dressed, and your mind starts racing. What about your friends and patients? You can’t knowingly take off and leave them all behind. This is the weekend too. You just happened to offer to cover for the weekend nurse so she could take a vacation. You jumped on the opportunity to have more time with Jonathan. Funny how things work out.

You decide not to pack anything, you want to travel light and can just buy new stuff. Except you did grab one change of clothes for Jonathan. That way he’s not running around in hospital clothes. You had bought him a few things after you talked about taking him out of Arkham when he was ready. Looks like that day came sooner than expected. Once you're in your car you rush over to Mary’s house. There’s no way you can just leave her here, and she doesn’t live far from Arkham. 

She has a bottom floor apartment. So you park near the front of the building and run up to her door and start frantically pounding on it. She whips the door open with a baseball bat in her hand, but drops it once she realizes it's you. “Annie? Honey what's wrong?”

"You need to grab your girls now and take my car and get out of Gotham right now.” You shove your car keys into her hand along with an address on a piece of paper. “Annie, slow down. You’re not making any sense.”

“Do you remember the man that paid Jonathan to release the fear toxin in Gotham and attacked the city trying to destroy it?” She nods her head slowly. “Yes, he had some weird name. But he died. Batman stopped him.”

“He was my father and my cunt of a half sister has decided to pick up where he left off. My adopted brother just warned me. We have about 40 minutes to get out of Gotham or we are going to be trapped here. Take my car, the address is a safe house I have in the country. Take your girls there. I’m sorry I don’t have time to explain more but I need to go get Jonathan out of Arkham.”

She looks at you with wide eyes. You know she has a million questions. “But what about you? How are you going to get out?”

“I'll figure something out. Just hurry.” You turn to run but she grabs your arm and pulls you in for a hug. “Thank you Annie. You have a lot of explaining to do after this. I’ll see you soon right?” 

You nod your head and start running. “Will you call Theo? Please?” You shout before you are too far away for her to hear you. You see her nod her head so you continue running.

It's not far but in your current state you feel like it’s taking too long to get there, like you can’t move fast enough. You feel a tiny bit of relief when you see the gates of Arkham. 

Thankfully the staff is much lighter on the weekends. So not many people see you running like a mad woman through the building. Except for of course Brock whom you happened to smack into running around a corner. He starts bitching and yelling at you. On a whim you decided to pick his car keys out of his pocket as retribution for his constant douche bag behavior. You don’t even respond to anything he says to you. You just smirk to yourself as you continue on running to your floor.

Fumbling through your purse you try to find your keys. Then you curse at the key ring for having too many keys. You refuse to abandon your patients. Finally you find the key you were looking for and unlock Eddie’s door. He smiles until he sees your panicked face. “Come with me now.” You grab his hand and pull him along behind you.

Then you go to Oswald’s door. He’s happy to see you just like Eddie until he sees the look on your face. “Oz come on we gotta go.” You grab him and pull him out like you did Eddie. Almost in unison they ask you what is wrong. 

“The League of Shadows is back in Gotham. They are going to trap everyone in Gotham and release everyone from Arkham and Blackgate. I’m sure they have far worse things planned, but that’s all I know. I don’t want you two stuck here. I want you to be somewhere safe.” You shove keys in Eddie’s hand and give Oswald a piece of paper. “These keys go to a van in the parking garage that belongs to Arkham. The paper has my passcodes to get through the locked doors on the employee stairwells. I know you both have safehouses outside of Gotham. Just get to one of them. We only have 25 minutes to get out of here before it's too late.”

Eddie puts his hand on your shoulder. “But what about you and Jonathan?” 

“I have to get a few more patients out of here. Me and Jonathan will be right behind you. Just please go and get across the bridge. Can you two please do that for me so I know you're safe?” They both give you sad looks but nod their heads in agreement. Eddie gives you a hug. “Thank you for not leaving us.” You kiss his forehead. “We’re friends, remember? I wouldn’t leave you.” 

Then you give Oswald a hug. “Thank you for not forgetting us.” You kiss his forehead too. “I would never forget you guys. Now please hurry.”

Next you pull out Digger, Victor, and Carmine. You tell them exactly what you told Eddie and Oz. Thankfully Victor still has some loyalty to his former boss and agreed to get Carmine to his niece who lives outside of Gotham. “Now boys I don’t normally encourage illegal activities but I think under these extenuating circumstances it’s going to be acceptable. Digger I’m sure you’ll be pleased with this.” You dangle some car keys in front of him. He gives you a confused look. “I know you were on Brock’s floor briefly before they transferred you to me. I know you hate him as much as I do. These are the keys to Brock’s shiny new BMW in the parking garage.” Digger smiles at you deviously. "I told that asshole paybacks a bitch."

You point your finger at them. “Now I’m trusting you boys. You better behave. You’ve come so far in your recovery, don’t turn back to old habits.” You were directing that to Digger and Victor. Carmine just needs somewhere quiet to retire. You hand Victor the passcodes to the employee stairwell. They all hug you and thank you for not leaving them, and even promise to behave. You can hope right?

Finally you take off to get Jonathan. You saved him for last because you didn’t want him to panic and have Scarecrow decide to come out. You practically rip his door open, and throw the clothes you brought at him. “Put these on. We gotta go.” He immediately does as he’s told but gives you a confused look. “(Y/N) what’s going on?”

“Barsad says Talia plans to trap everyone in Gotham. Bane sent him to warn me so I could get you out and leave. We’ve got less than 15 minutes to get across the bridge. But I need you to stay calm so that you stay with me. Okay?” He nods his head in understanding. He knows that means do his best not to let Scarecrow come out. 

You grab his hand and make a run for the stairwell. About halfway down a door flies open in front of you blocking the stairs. And of fucking course it’s Brock. He sees Jonathan dressed in street clothes and then looks at you. “What the fuck are you doing? Are you seriously helping him escape? Oh I am so turning you in. They’ll finally fire you, and hopefully arrest you.”

You don’t have time for this. So you grab his shoulders and knee him as hard as you can right in the jewels. He keels over and starts coughing. “Jokes on you, I own Arkham you fucking douche bag.” You yell as you continue running down the stairs. 

Once you reach the parking garage you run over to a car in the far back corner and break the window. Jonathan looks at you confused as you jump in and unlock the passenger door. “It’s Harleen’s car. They never towed it out of here. I just don’t have keys.” You pull some wires cutters out of your purse and reach under the steering wheel and pull out some wires. “You’re hot wiring a car? Seriously? They teach that in the league?” Jonathan says, sounding amused. You just shrug your shoulders and smile as you finish what you're doing with the wires and the car finally starts.

“Ha! Finally!” You peel out of the parking garage just as Brock comes running out of the door. You flip him off as you drive by. “(Y/N) how much time do we have left?” You grab his hand and lace your fingers together. “5 minutes. Brock fucking slowed me down twice. I gave Digger the keys to Brock’s car though.”

Jonathan starts laughing. “Well he should know better than to cross you by now." You hear him take a deep breath. "Did Bane actually tell you to get me out?"

"That's what Barsad said. Why?"

"Just wondering. I would just expect him to hate me not help me. But I suppose it was more for you than for me."

You squeeze his hand. "The reason doesn't matter. All that matters is we're together."

As you bob and weave through traffic like a crazy person you feel like your heart is beating so hard it’s going to burst out of your chest. You finally turn the corner to the street you need that takes you to the bridge but there’s a line of cars at a dead stop with their horns honking. There’s some homeless guy in the road with a shopping cart blocking traffic. “Fuck. Jonathan we’re going to have to run the rest of the way. We don’t have time to wait here.” Without hesitation he jumps out of the car and you do the same. He grabs your hand and starts running. For once it’s him pulling you, not the other way around. 

The bridge is in your sites, you’re almost there. Suddenly the ground starts shaking, it feels like an earthquake. Then there’s the sounds of an explosion. Every bridge in Gotham simultaneously gets blown in half. There’s smoke also blowing upwards from the sewers. The explosion is so loud you can’t hear anything but the ringing in your ears. 

Jonathan pulls you to him and wraps his arms around you. And you're thinking how utterly fucked you are.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole chapter is just fluff and smut

CHAPTER 18

  
  


Running. You are so tired of running. It feels like you've run a marathon. After the explosions everyone in the city started panicking. You had no choice but to go back to your apartment. So once again your running. 

Jonathan has been holding it together. You have faith in him, he's been working hard on keeping in control and managing his emotions.

Finally you reach your apartment, and quickly pull Jonathan inside and lock the door. He puts his hands on your face and wipes your tears away. You didn't even realize you were crying. "It'll be okay sweetheart. We're together, that's what's important."

You shake your head repeatedly. "It's my fault Jonathan. We're trapped here and it's all my fault. I tried helping everyone else. I should've just listened to Barsad and went straight to you."

"That's not who you are. You put others before you, and go out of your way to help people. I know you wouldn’t forgive yourself if we were on the other side of that bridge while everyone else you cared about was left in Gotham. We will just have to find our own way out."

He’s not wrong, so you reluctantly agree as he pulls you into a hug. You sigh dramatically into his chest. “Might as well show you around our home right?” As you remove yourself from his embrace you take your jacket and shoes off. When you look up at him he’s smiling wide at you, which makes you frown. “Why are you smiling? We’re trapped in a doomed city with my stupid bitch sister.”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Nothing. It’s just you called it our home. I wasn’t expecting that but I like the sound of it.” You grab his hand and pull him further inside. “Come on you big sap.” But you’re smiling as you say it. 

Might as well make the best of a bad situation, right? You’ll just have to figure out a way to let Barsad know you’re still here. Him and Bane are going to be pissed when they find out you did leave when you were told to. But Bane should have a way to get you out.

The apartment you live in isn’t huge. It does have two bedrooms. The spare bedroom you use as an office and storage space. The apartments in the narrows aren’t exactly lavish so you made the best out of what you had to work with. It’s clean and homey so that’s all that matters to you. So you show Jonathan where everything is. You see him standing in front of a bookshelf you have in the living room, and hear him sniffling. You’re about to ask him what’s wrong but you see what he’s looking at.

When you and Jonathan would have moments alone you would sneak some pictures of the two of you with your cell phone. You had prints made of some of the pictures and have them in frames around your apartment. “Do you not like the picture?”

He shakes his head. “No it’s not that. It’s just us being together while I’m confined to Arkham kind of felt surreal. Being here with you and seeing things like this just makes it feel actually real.”

“My love for you is real Jonathan. You know that right?” He sets the picture down and turns to you. He pulls you to him and crashes his lips against yours. You run your fingers through his hair and moan into his mouth. When he breaks the kiss he’s smiling. “I love you too (Y/N)”

You bite your lip and wrap your arms around his waist. “Wanna know what I just realized handsome?”

“What?”

“Nobody is watching. We don’t have to sneak around, and there’s nothing stopping us from going to the bedroom.” Jonathan’s face lights up. Without hesitation he picks you up and throws you over his shoulder and carries you to the bedroom. You let out an embarrassing squeal and are still giggling when he tosses you onto the bed. Propping yourself up on your elbow you smile at him. “Someone’s eager.”

He jumps on the bed making you bounce and fall over as he climbs on top of you. “Damn right I’m eager it’s been months of torturous waiting.” Then he crashes his lips against yours again. Hey you weren’t complaining, you’re just as eager as he is. You start yanking on his shirt and he grumbles when he has to break the kiss to take his shirt off. You take yours off at the same time. Then you are both just staring at each other. If you’re drooling with his shirt off what’s going to happen when you get the rest of his clothes off you think to yourself.

He leans down and attaches his lips to your neck and kisses and licks his way down your chest, between your breasts, and then along your belly. He gets to the button on your jeans and looks up at you. “Well don’t stop now.” You tease. He practically rips your jeans off you. While he’s busy staring at your almost naked body you take advantage of the distraction and flip him onto his back and straddle his hips. “That’s not fair.” He whines. 

“Sure it is. It’s my turn.” You say with a smile, and then do as he did. Kiss your way down his neck, his chest, and between his pecs, and follow his happy trail down his belly. You don’t hesitate unbuttoning his pants and pulling them right off. Then you take your bra off as you climb back on top of him. His bright blue eyes are now lust blown. He puts his hands on your hips and flips you back over. He hovers above you and runs the tips of his fingers across your bare skin making you break out in goosebumps. “You are so beautiful.” He says to you as you make eye contact with each other. “So are you.” You whisper and put your hand on the back of his neck to pull him closer so you can kiss his beautiful face. 

You wrap your legs around his waist and you can feel his hard length pressing against your aching core. He grinds against you and moans into your mouth as you’re kissing. “Jonathan, I want you so bad baby.” You gasp out. 

He pauses his movements. “Me too sweetheart. But….um...what about protection?” He says it almost shyly. “I got birth control when we became more serious, and I’ve seen your test results. We’re both clean, but I have condoms in the dresser if you’re not comfortable.”

“I trust you, and I would rather feel all of you anyway. Nothing between us.” He slides his hand between your thighs and rubs you through your underwear. You bite your lip and squeeze your thighs together. “Please Jonathan.” You whine. 

He rolls off you and slides your now soaked underwear down your legs and drops them on the floor. Then he removes his boxer briefs. You fight the urge to lick your lips when you see his gorgeous entirely naked body, and his thick rock hard length. Both of you seem to realize you're just staring at each other again. 

Jonathan climbs back on the bed and kisses his way up your body starting at your thighs. He sucks a mark into your skin near your hip. “Marking your territory again already?” You say playfully. “Damn right I am.” He says with a smile. He moves from your thighs to your belly and then to your breast taking a nipple into his mouth and caresses the other with his free hand. You run your fingers through his hair and arch your back.

Eventually he releases your breast and moves his lips to your neck and jaw. You reach between your bodies and line him up with your entrance. He kisses your lips like he wants to devour you and rests his forehead against yours when he breaks the kiss. “I love you (Y/N)”

“And I love you Jonathan.”

Finally he slowly pushes himself inside you. Your arms wrap around him with your hands resting on his upper back and shoulders. He stops when he’s fully sheathed inside you. You can feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest. You wrap your legs around his hips. “Please move baby.” You whisper to him. He obeys and slowly pulls almost all the way out and slowly pushes back in. He does that a couple times before he gradually picks up the pace.

He drops his forehead to your shoulder. “You feel so good sweetheart.” He says sounding almost breathless and starts thrusting his hips faster. “I have fantasized this so many times. You feel even better than I dreamed.” You gasp out.

You start moving your hips to meet his thrusts. You’re both breathing heavily and covered in sweat. “Harder baby.” You moan. He leans upright just a little and grabs one of your thighs to hold your legs open wider allowing him to go deeper. Then he gives you what you ask for and starts pounding harder into you making the headboard of the bed slam against the wall.

You run your finger nails up and down his back and moan out his name. He leans back down and bares his weight on one arm as he buries his face in your neck. With his free hand he reaches between your bodies and rubs your clit. “Come for me sweetheart.” His thrusts go deep and hard hitting the right spot. He feels your walls tighten and spasm around him. You practically scream out his name as you come, and your eyes roll back. If your neighbors are around they definitely heard you.

Jonathan’s thrusts start getting erratic and sloppy so you know he’s close. “Come inside me baby. Mark me as yours on the inside.” That seems to push him over the edge. He calls out your name as he comes deep inside you.

The room is silent except for the sounds of your heavy breathing. Jonathan unburies his face from your neck so he can kiss your lips. Then he slowly pulls out of you and lays down next to you on his back. You immediately put your head on his chest and he wraps an arm around you. “I love you so much (Y/N).” You kiss his chest and run your hand up and down his torso. “I love you too.”

You’re both quiet for a few minutes just enjoying being close to each other. You finally break the silence. “We should probably take a shower. Together.” Jonathan slides out from under you and rolls out of bed. He scoops you up bridal style and takes off towards the bathroom. “So eager.” You chuckle. “After months of waiting we have some lost time to make up for.” He says playfully. 

It ended up being a very long shower, but you certainly aren’t complaining.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Made myself tear up again. The second half of the chapter gets emotional.

CHAPTER 19

  
  


Jonathan is sound asleep next to you. You’re probably being creepy by staring at him, but you can’t sleep. Despite your exhaustion your mind is racing not allowing you to sleep. Which leads to you staring at Jonathan. You’re beyond happy to have him here next to you. You thoroughly wore each other out yesterday and eventually went to bed. But you're worried about finding a way out of Gotham, because you don’t know what Talia has planned or what’s going on outside. You two got caught up in each other and briefly forgot about the chaos outside. Carefully and quietly so you don’t disturb him you roll out of bed and go to the living room.

It's early in the morning, still dark outside. You decide to turn the TV on, maybe the news will tell you something until you can find Barsad or Bane. Just about every channel has breaking news about Gotham so you didn’t have to look very hard. The first channel you turn to has a video of Bane standing in the remnants of the Gotham football stadium. The entire football field is almost completely caved in from the explosions. Several league members are behind him and wheeling out something large. Which turns out to be a bomb, but not just any bomb. It’s a nuclear bomb. He claims he’s liberating Gotham to give it back to the people and if anyone intervenes a citizen of Gotham holding a trigger will detonate the nuclear bomb they built.

Bane’s basically telling the poor to terrorize the rich and the corrupt to take control of their city. The privileged should be punished. Then there’s clips of uptown Gotham and some of the richer neighborhoods. It’s complete chaos. People being thrown in the streets and beating each other. Basically everyone from the narrows went and raided uptown Gotham. You are thankful you chose to live in the narrows.

You gasp with a hand over your mouth. “Oh Bane my love what have you done.” You whisper to yourself. You flip to another channel and it’s the president saying they don’t negotiate with terrorists. The league threatened the military if anyone from Gotham tries escaping they’ll trigger the bomb. So basically the people of Gotham are on their own. 

“Sneaking out of here is going to be even trickier now.” You whip around and see Jonathan leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. So lost in your internal turmoil over Bane you didn’t hear him get out of bed. You are hoping he didn’t hear you call Bane your love. It just kind of slipped out from old habits. “Sorry if I woke you. My mind won’t let me sleep.”

He sits down next to you on the couch. “Trust me I know that feeling. So Barsad or Bane never told you about any of this?”

“No. I honestly thought they were here because Talia wanted revenge on Bruce Wayne for killing our father. Talia doesn’t tell Barsad anything. And I never asked Bane for any details and he didn’t offer any. I need to try to find one of them, but I’m betting they are in uptown Gotham where all the chaos is.”

“You shouldn’t go up there. Weren’t you told that the prisoners of Blackgate were going to be let out?”

You rest your head against his shoulder. “Ya it’s probably on their list of horrible deeds to complete today. I just don’t want to stay here longer than we have to. I suppose I could keep an eye on the news and wait to see what happens when that is overwith.”

Jonathan kisses your forehead. "Thank you. I know you're secretly a badass ninja that can handle yourself. I just don't want anything to happen to you or for us to get separated."

You chuckle at that and lift your head off his shoulder. "Badass ninja works I guess." You run your fingertips along his neck where he is covered in love bites. "Gotcha pretty good didn't I? Sorry I got a little carried away."

"I'm not complaining. Besides it's only fair. I got you pretty good too." You have only a tank top and underwear on. He runs his fingers down your neck and shoulder. "How come you never told me you had tattoos?" He says this as he runs his fingers across the tattoo on the back of your shoulder.

You shrug your shoulders hoping he'll drop the subject. "Just slipped my mind." You say trying to sound casual.

"Does this one mean anything?"

Dammit. Of course he wouldn't just drop it. You bite your lip as you think about what you should say. It’s an infinity symbol with writing around it in Tibetan. You exhale slowly the breath you didn’t realize you were holding, and look him in the eyes. “I got it a very long time ago. I want you to understand that.”

He stops touching your tattoo and breaks eye contact. “Something to do with Bane I’m guessing since you seem so apprehensive about it. I can’t be upset about something that happened before you even knew me. But if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine.”

Well you don’t want to keep things from him, might as well tell him. “We each got one after the joining of souls ceremony. It’s written in Tibetan, and says Eternal Love and his name. His has my name.”

“Can I say something without you getting upset with me?” You slowly nod your head, not sure where this is going. “What the fuck is wrong with him? I think he is incredibly insane for ever letting you go. I don’t know if that means much coming from me since I’ve been certified insane myself. His loss is my gain. But don’t tell him I said that, he terrifies me.”

You chuckle at the last part, but you’re not sure how to respond to that. So you just throw your arms around him. He immediately hugs you back. You yawn into his shoulder, the lack of sleep is starting to hit you. “Did you sleep at all sweetheart?” You shake your head no. So he lays down on the couch pulling you with him, and he grabs the blanket you have folded on top of the couch and throws it over both of you. You burrow yourself into his chest and he wraps his arms around you and quickly you drift off to sleep. 

Once again you’re awake at the early hours of the morning. The racing thoughts in your mind are giving you insomnia. This is going to be day three you’ve been stuck in Gotham. Neither of you have left the safety of your apartment since you got here. Thankfully all the madness is happening on the other side of Gotham since no one really wanted to stay in the narrows. The inmates were released from Blackgate yesterday, but the league decided to gift them all with weapons when they let them out. So the fighting has only gotten worse. Like Jonathan said you can handle yourself in a fight, but you're not bulletproof. So you haven’t chanced it, and you don’t want to take Jonathan with you. It would be like a playground of chaos and fear for Scarecrow.

Right now you’re sitting on the couch with your head leaned back just staring blankly at the ceiling. You kept the TV off because it’s stressing you out and you don’t want to wake Jonathan. The sounds of floor boards creaking in the hallway outside of your apartment gets your attention. You have seen some lights on in neighboring buildings assuming some people stayed. But you’re building has been silent except for you and Jonathan. 

So you tip toe across the room and grab your blade. You move closer to the front door. It’s completely dark in your apartment. The only source of light is from the street lights shining through your blinds. Then you hear the sounds of the lock being picked. Boy did they pick the wrong apartment to break into. You’re pressed up against a tall cabinet so you can’t be seen. 

The door opens and promptly clicks shut, but you wait until the footsteps get closer. Once the intruder is close enough you jump out holding the blade directly against their throat. But a familiar sound makes you drop the blade, the hissing sound of Bane’s mask. “You are not supposed to be here.” He says quietly. 

You don’t say anything. You’re in shock that he’s here, but you are also pissed about what he’s doing to Gotham. His footsteps move away from you. He walked back towards the door to turn a light on. The small kitchen light feels blinding after being in the darkness. You can finally make out his frame and see part of his face in the dim lighting. You run over to him, he opens his arms thinking you’re going to hug him. But you ball your hands into fists and start hitting his chest. He’s so large he doesn’t even budge. “You son of a bitch how can you do these horrible things?! Is there any shred of decency left in you?! How could you!”

Your body starts shaking from all the overwhelming emotions you are feeling, and your knees give out on you. He catches you before you hit the floor. He picks you up and sits you on the kitchen counter. You swing your hands at him again but he catches them and gently holds your wrists. Feeling defeated, you drop your head against his shoulder and cry.

He wraps his arms around you. “I am sorry for hurting you. I am sorry I bound myself with a promise and ruined us, ruined myself. I lost myself and the man you helped me once be. I am sorry I finally made you hate me.” You’re shaking in his arms from trying to quiet your sobs. He runs his hands up and down your back as you cry.

Once you calm down enough you lift your head off his shoulder. When you look into his eyes you can see the tear stains on his skin that’s not covered by the mask. “I hate that even with all the horrible things you’ve done and continue to do that I still can’t bring myself to hate you. I still love you. But if anything happens to Jonathan or Barsad I will never forgive you.”

He nods his head once letting you know he understands. “Barsad was supposed to make sure you made it across the bridge. Am I correct to assume you were too busy helping others and did not make it in time?”

You just nod your head. There’s a storm of emotions whirling around in your mind. The foremost thought you are having is about Talia. You have never taken a life before. But for her you can make an exception. The thought of slitting her throat is very tempting right now. She destroyed Bane. She’s destroying innocent lives. You’ve never felt so much hatred towards anyone the way you do for her. 

“(Y/N) whatever you are thinking about doing right now, please don’t. You have a pure heart. Please do not darken it because of me.” He gently wipes your tears that never completely stopped. Then he holds your chin with his thumb and forefinger. His other hand is on your bare thigh. You forgot that you were only in a tank top and underwear. “You are still just as beautiful as you were the first time I laid eyes on you. Just seeing your face used to relieve the pain even just momentarily.”

“I would get butterflies in my stomach everytime you smiled at me. I know you saved your smiles for me and no one else. When you would touch me, even if by accident my heart would beat so hard I was afraid you would hear it.”

You wrap your arms around his middle. He puts his arms back around you and rests his chin gently on top of your head. “Does he make you happy?” Bane says barely above a whisper. You croak out a yes. “Do you love him?” His voice cracks a little as he says it. “Yes.” You whisper back. He stays quiet for a moment, just holding you.

“I will secure a way out for both of you. It will just take me a little time. Can you be patient?” You lean back so you can see his face. “And Barsad. I won’t leave without him.” He exhales slowly which echoes through his mask. “And Barsad.”

“I would say you too, but I already know the answer.” Bane pulls you back to him and runs his hand through your hair. “Can you promise me one thing?” You nod your head against his chest. “Remember that I truly love you.”

“As long as you do the same. Remember that I will always love you.”

He lets you lean back and he cups your cheek with his large hand. “I promise.” He clears his throat, and looks into your eyes. “I will inform Barsad you are here. He or I will let you know when I have secured a way out for you.”

You kiss his cheek. "Thank you." After that he leaves without another word. 

You sit there on the kitchen counter long after he’s gone. Feeling mentally and physically exhausted. You eventually jump off the counter and crawl back into bed with Jonathan who is still fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you cry? I totally cried writing it.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prepare for some angst and some Scarecrow.

CHAPTER 20

  
  


The feeling of being watched is what wakes you. You open your eyes seeing familiar blue ones looking at you. Only it’s not Jonathan looking back at you, it’s Scarecrow. You slowly turn your head and bury your face in your pillow and let out a scream. This is not what you wanted to wake up to. After you finish screaming into your pillow you turn your head back to him. “That was dramatic.” He says dryly.

“Why are you here? Jonathan has been doing fine.” He leans up on his elbow and narrows his eyes at you. “You tell me.” Letting out a dramatic sigh you roll out of bed. “I need some coffee if I’m going to have to deal with you today.”

He follows you out shortly after. He just leans against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed, and angry eyes watching you. Neither of you have said anything else to each other yet. You wait until you get through about half of your coffee. “Can you throw me a bone? I really don’t know why you are here. What happened?”

He cocks his head to the side a little and glares at you. “Did you happen to have a midnight rendezvou with a former lover?” You just blink your eyes staring at him blankly as you take in what he said. “He woke up last night when Bane was here?”

He gives you a humorless laugh and claps his hands. “Why would that make him so upset to the point you come out? After I got done yelling at Bane he said he would secure a way out for us. What did he overhear?”

He pushes off the counter and walks towards you. You’re leaning against a counter on the opposite side of the kitchen. He puts one hand on either side of you caging you in. His cold eyes stare into yours for a moment. Then he leans close so he’s talking next to your ear. “Only bile inducing heart felt love confessions while you were half naked. You are supposed to be ours. But there you were sneaking around in the dark with a masked mercenary.”

Then he pushes off the counter and backs away from you. “That’s not what happened. And I wasn’t sneaking around in the dark. I never lied to Jonathan about Bane, or anything for that matter.”

He gives you a crazed laugh that you haven’t heard for a long time. “Oh how foolish we were to let you in. Let you get close.” He looks at his watch. “I’m bored with this, bored with you. I’m going to go out and have some fun.” He starts walking towards the door.

What he doesn’t know is you grabbed some of the injections you use for sedating patients before you left Arkham. Just in case something like this were to happen. He didn’t see you grab one when you rolled out of bed. “Wait!” You run towards him. He turns around and gives you a stone cold glare. You shove his back against the door and crash your lips into his. Clearly he’s surprised by your actions and hesitates at first. You've never actually kissed Scarecrow. But he eventually gives in and kisses you back, and wraps his arms around you. 

It doesn’t feel like you’re kissing Jonathan, which is confusing. It’s him, but it’s also not him. He seems to get lost in the kiss, which is what you were hoping for. You quickly jab him in the thigh with the needle. The look he gives you when you back away makes you feel bad, he looks hurt or betrayed even. “Theatricality and deception.” He says to you coldly, but he’s also sounding drowsy. He slides down to the floor with his back against the door. “I’m sorry I won’t let you run around Gotham terrorizing people. Jonathan has come too far. You’re both better than that.”

Once he passes out you drag him across your apartment and pull him onto the couch. Which was a feat in itself trying to lift dead weight by yourself. Since he’s going to be unconscious for a while you decide to sneak out to see if maybe you can get into the corner store. You are running low on some things.

You scan the hallways as you make your way through your apartment building. It’s dead silent, so you’re pretty sure no one else stayed behind in your building. Once you get to the front door you scan the streets. No signs of anyone, not in the streets at least. The corner store is only a few blocks away. The glass door has been broken, but thankfully it hasn’t been completely raided. There’s still some essential things inside you could use. You grab a shopping cart and start tossing anything you think you might need inside. The sound of someone stepping on broken glass gets your attention. You don’t see anyone, but you can hear them breathing. 

“I can hear you. Come on out. I won’t hurt you unless you try to hurt me.”

“Annie?” Detective Blake pops up from behind a display case. He runs over to you and gives you a hug. “Blake? What are you doing in the narrows?” 

“Trying to avoid being hunted. The mercenaries trapped every cop in Gotham underground when the explosions happened. They are hunting down any cops who happen to still be above ground. What about you, are you alright?”

“Ya I’m fine. I live a couple blocks away. Everyone fled from here. I obviously did not want to partake in what’s happening uptown. This is actually my first time leaving my apartment since it happened. Needed some supplies.”

He points down the street at a building. “Gordon and I are hiding out in there. Do you want to join us so you’re not alone? I know you’re pretty handy to have in a fight.”

You chuckle at that. “I’m glad you are both alright, and I appreciate the offer. But I’m fine, and I’m not alone. There’s someone waiting for me back at my apartment.” The look he gives you, you can’t quite decipher. “Someone, like a boyfriend? How come you came alone then?”

You give him a small smile. “Ya something like that. I snuck out when he fell asleep so he wouldn’t try to come with me. I wasn’t sure what kind of people were still around.” He nods his head in understanding, but he seems a little somber now. You two talk for a little while longer. You’re worried about Jonathan or Scarecrow waking up before you get back so you cut the conversation a little short. You hug and tell each other to stay safe before you finally part ways.

You feel bad for lying to Blake. He’s such a good guy and a good friend. But you don’t think he’ll quite understand the relationship you have with Jonathan. And Scarecrow tried attacking Blake twice, so that doesn’t really help the situation. Then there’s also the fact you personally know the people that trapped his friends and colleagues underground. Not really topics you want to have conversations about with your detective friend.

It takes you a couple trips but you get all your stolen shopping items into your apartment. As you’re putting some of the groceries away you hear movement coming from the living room. Better go see who decided to wake up, Scarecrow or Jonathan. As you approach the living room you can see him sitting up on the couch. You slowly make your way around the room until you can see his face. “Oh thank god, Jonathan you’re back. Are you alright? I’m sorry I had to sedate Scarecrow because he was trying to leave.” You go to put your arms around him but he moves away from your touch. So you kneel down on the floor in front of him. “Jonathan, please talk to me.”

“What’s there to talk about? Why are you even here? I’m surprised you didn’t just leave with your husband.” The hurt in his voice is clear. He covers his face with his hands, and leans with his elbows resting on his knees. “I will tell you the entire conversation I had with Bane. But what exactly did you hear that is upsetting you so much?”

He abruptly stands up and starts pacing. Just like the last time you had an argument about Bane. “It wasn’t just what I heard (Y/N), it’s what I saw!” You pull yourself off the floor and stand up. He’s on the opposite side of the living room now. “You had your hands all over each other, and you barely had any clothes on. Then saying how much you love each other, and reminiscing about the past. If you want him so bad why are you still here?!”

“That is enough! I was sitting on the couch in the dark because I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to wake you up. He broke in and I had my knife to his throat until I realized who it was. I didn’t have time to get dressed when all that was happening. So you missed the part where I was yelling and hitting him for the shit he’s helping Talia with. You also missed the part when he asked if you make me happy and if I love you. Which by the way I said yes to! And finally the part where he said he was going to secure a way out for me and you. So you are jumping to conclusions instead of just talking to me!”

He stopped pacing as you were yelling at him. He has his arms crossed and is just staring at you like he’s trying to read you. You take a deep breath to calm yourself down. “I will always care about Bane. He used to be a big part of my life, and I can’t just forget all of that. But he had his chance with me. He had six years to come and find me. But he didn’t. I chose you Jonathan. I want to be with you.”

He makes a few quick strides across the room to reach you. He crashes his lips against yours and puts his hands on your hips pushing you until your back hits the wall. You moan into his mouth as his hands roam your body. The kiss quickly gets more heated. You unbutton his pants and he does the same to you. But you shimmy yours all the way down and kick them off. He grabs your thighs and lifts you up pinning you between him and the wall. 

You help him push his pants down to his thighs, then you slide your panties to the side so he can push himself fully inside you in one swift motion. You both moan loudly, Jonathan buries his face in your neck and you wrap your arms and legs around him. Then he starts thrusting hard in and out of you at a rapid pace. It’s rough and frenzied, and you are both incredibly turned on. He’s pounding into you so hard things are falling off the wall and nearby shelves. Neither of you seem to be able to form words, just grunts and moans. You know he isn’t going to last long, you aren’t either. He shifts your hips to adjust the angle allowing him to go deeper and hit the right spot over and over. You scream so loud you could probably be heard in the next building, and you come harder than you ever have before. 

He comes almost at the same time as you. As your walls tighten and spasm around him he thrusts hard a few more times before he’s moaning loudly and coming deep inside you. He’s breathing heavily into your neck making your skin feel sweatier. You can feel the sweat on his neck and through his shirt. 

“I’m sorry for how I acted. Can you forgive me?” He whispers against your neck. “If our make up sex it always going to be like this I might just pick a few more fights with you.” You say half jokingly. You can feel him smiling against your neck. “Yes I forgive you. I’m sorry for upsetting you. But I had every intention of telling you about my conversation with Bane. I don’t keep secrets from you.”

He carefully pulls out of you and gently sets you on the ground. Your legs feel weak so you grip onto his arms. He leans down and kisses you sweetly. “I love you (Y/N). I really am sorry. My own fears get the best of me sometimes.”

“I love you too. I think we need to talk this out more, but after we take a nice hot bath.” You smile mischievously at him. He scoops you up again throwing you over his shoulder and eagerly takes off to the bathroom.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all Scarecrow. You know the scene in The Dark Knight Rises where he's playing judge? That's where part of the chapter occurs.

CHAPTER 21

  
  


After the fight you had with Jonathan about Bane you talked everything out. He feels insecure sometimes, and he knows how much you and Bane meant to each other. But you reassured him that ship had sailed. You will always care about and love Bane, that will never change. But because of his strong belief in keeping promises he didn’t choose you. So you had to move on.

It’s been almost six weeks now, that you’ve been trapped in Gotham. Bane still hasn’t secured a way out for you. If he had known you were still here he might have waited a bit longer before threatening the government if people try to escape. But he asked you to be patient and give him a little more time. Barsad also wasn’t pleased when he found out you were still in Gotham, but he was also not really that surprised. It’s always been in your nature to help people.

The stress is starting to get to both you and Jonathan, and you haven’t felt very good for the past week or so. You’ve been keeping it to yourself though. Jonathan is struggling enough to keep it together, so you didn’t want to make him worry or fuss over you. You haven’t seen Scarecrow since the day you had to sedate him.

The insomnia has only gotten worse for you. You look at Jonathan’s peaceful sleeping form lying next to you and envy his ability to fall asleep so easily. Maybe a hot shower will help you relax. So you quietly roll out of bed and tip toe into the bathroom. The hot shower does relax you a little, but after you get out you feel nauseous and barely make it to the toilet in time when you start puking. 

Once that awfulness is over you open the medicine cabinet to find something for your headache. Your eyes zero in on your birth control pills. Your sleep schedule has been messed up from the insomnia which in turn has made you miss a few days of taking your pills over the last several weeks. 

A wave of panic washes over you. Oh god, you can’t be. This is not a good time to get pregnant. You and Jonathan never even talked about kids. How would he react? Maybe you should get a pregnancy test before you give yourself a panic attack. Maybe it’s coincidence, and you just have a stomach bug or something. Deep down you know you’re in denial.

It takes two days for you to be able to sneak away and find a pregnancy test. Those aren’t in high demand when one is stealing from an abandoned grocery store so it wasn’t too hard to find. Jonathan is picking up on your anxious behavior, but he’s just been attributing it to the insomnia he knows you’re still experiencing. 

You pace back and forth in the bathroom. The ticking of the seconds on the clock is driving you mad. Time seems to be moving in slow motion. Every little sound makes you paranoid. You waited to do this when Jonathan was asleep. You don’t want to alarm him until you actually know if you’re pregnant or not. Times up, time to look at the test. But you stand paralyzed staring at it from the opposite side of the bathroom. You’re father trained you to be fearless, yet this stupid stick you just peed on makes you feel like a frigthened child.

You roll your shoulders and take a deep breath. You can do this. With shaky hands you pick up the test and see the pink + sign. “Oh fuck me. I am so fucked.” You drop it like you’ve been burned by it and sit down on the floor with your back against the wall. You’re not sure how much time passes as you sit there staring in shock at the positive pregnancy test laying on the floor. 

After a while you actually start to feel tired from the thoughts racing around your mind. So you hide the pregnancy test and quietly crawl back into bed. Jonathan rolls over and wraps his arms around you. “Are you alright sweetheart? You were in there for a long time.” You mumble out an “Uh huh” but don’t say anything more. Eventually you drift off to sleep.

When you wake it's late morning and you feel cold. Jonathan’s not in bed with you. Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes you climb out of bed and walk out of your bedroom. “Jonathan?” No response. You can just feel that you are alone, Jonathan isn’t here. He never leaves without you. Something on the kitchen counter catches your eye. There’s a note, maybe he just went for a walk? You think hopefully. But all hope is lost when you read the note. All it says is _Time to play._ “Scarecrow! Dammit!”

You’re cursing to yourself the entire time you are getting dressed. Cursing some more when you grab a couple of your blades and hide them on your body in case you need them. You know he’s gone to uptown Gotham. You have managed to avoid all of that madness by staying in the narrows. Bane or Barsad always come to you, they also didn’t want you going to that side of town. 

Between the stress, lack of sleep, finding out you're pregnant, and not being in the mood for Scarecrow’s shit, you are in a very foul mood. Hell hath no fury like a pissed off pregnant woman, you think to yourself. Anyone tries to fuck with you when you get uptown will be very sorry.

You hotwire a car that’s been sitting on the street outside your apartment for weeks and drive most of the way. You are going to stop at City Hall first. That’s where Bane has been holed up most of the time. It’s winter now and there’s snow on the ground. So you have on a jacket with a hood. As you approach the City Hall building with determination some league members pull their guns on you to stop you. You angrily pull your hood off and glare daggers at them. “Really?!”

They all immediately lower their guns once they see your face and apologize almost in unison. You storm past them and barrel right into Bane as you get through the door. Before either of you get any words out a wave of nausea hits you. Suddenly run over to a trash can and start puking. Bane comes to your aid and pulls your hair away from your face and rubs your back. He gives you a handkerchief to clean your face when you stand up. Then a bottle of water. “Thank you.” You whisper to him. 

You lean against him as you try to pull yourself together. “Does he know?” Bane says to you quietly. Of course he would figure it out in a matter of seconds. Never could keep anything from him. “No I just found out last night. When I woke up this morning he was gone.”

Bane cups your cheek and you can see the sadness in his eyes. “I always thought you would make an exceptional mother. I am happy for you, that you will finally get to experience motherhood.”

His response gives you mixed feelings, happy, sad, relieved and slightly guilty. You feel like you should say something to him. “Bane….I..” He puts his finger to your lips to quiet you. “It’s alright my love.” You bite your lip and nod your head. He’s basically telling you words are necessary. So you just wrap your arms around him and hug him tight. Without hesitation he hugs you back, and you hear him exhale slowly through his mask. “He is here, but he is not Dr. Crane. I was about to leave to come find you.” You sigh into his chest. “I know, it’s Scarecrow. I need to get him home.”

Bane gently pulls your arms off him but keeps a hold of your hand and pulls you further into City Hall. You can hear the echoes of Scarecrow’s voice so you listen to what he’s saying as Bane guides you through the hallways.

“Order! Order in the court. You are Philip Stryver, Executive Vice-President of Daggett Industries. Who for years has been living off the blood and sweat of the people less powerful than him. This is merely a sentencing hearing. Now, the choice is yours. Exile or Death!?”

You can hear a crowd shouting “death”. Bane leads you into the room and you cannot believe what you are seeing. In the large room probably every desk in the building has been stacked up almost like legos. It's a couple dozen desks and at least 20 feet high. They are convening court hearings and judgements against the rich and privileged. And Scarecrow is at the top of this heaping stack of desks playing the judge.

The man he just offered exile or death to stutters out the word exile a couple times. Scarecrow replies happily. “Sold! To the man in the cold sweat.” And slams his gavel down on the desk. 

“Bane where exactly are they exiled to?”

“The frozen river, none have made it across. They all fall through the ice.” You turn to him and narrow your eyes. “So it is death by exile then. Real nice options.” You huff and storm away from him walking through the large room. All eyes are on you, and you hear whispering. Someone you’ve never seen before says loud enough for you to hear, “that one is off limits.”

Scarecrow sees you storming across the room with fire in your eyes. As you get further across the room you see he’s wearing some ratty old suit. Where in the ever loving fuck did he get that? You stop at the base of the pile of furniture and point your finger at him. “I am giving you two choices just like you are giving these people. You can either come down here on your own volition or I come up there and drag you down myself.”

He looks at you for a moment and can tell you aren’t bluffing. He bangs the gavel. “Court is adjourned for an undetermined amount of time for a recess.” He climbs down the furniture and jumps down in front of you. “I apologize for what happened the last time we were together, but for the record this is the kind of shit I was trying to keep you from doing. I don’t care if you are still angry at me, because we need to talk.” He cocks his head to the side and stares into your eyes. Amazingly he nods his head and doesn’t fight or argue when you take his hand. You can slowly feel your sky high blood pressure lowering.

That is until you hear a laugh you never wanted to hear again. Fucking Joker. “Well what do we have here. There’s my naughty little nurse. Where have you been hiding?” You slowly turn around. “I am not in the mood today J. Don’t fuck with me.”

“There’s that fiery spirit I like so much. Don’t take Scarecrow away, he just got to come out and play with the other kids. You should come out and play too. We can share can’t we Scarecrow?” He surprises you again by wrapping his arms around you protectively. But before he can reply you see a bouncy blonde come running across the room. “There you are Puddin’ I thought I lost you.”

“Harleen? What the fuck did you do to her J?” She’s wearing fishnet stockings, shorts that look more like underwear, and a t-shirt that barely covers anything. Her hair has been bleached, and is in pigtails with one dyed blue and other pink. Her makeup is a disaster, and she looks like she’s not all there in the head. Joker starts laughing again. “I just lightened her up and cleared her mind with a little electroshock therapy. Works wonders if I do say so myself.”

She extends her hand to you. “Names Harley Quinn, nice to meet ya.” She doesn’t even recognize you. Good lord. You’ve had enough of this and turn to leave but Joker puts a hand on your shoulder. Before you can break his fucking hand Bane’s voice bellows across the room.

“Hands off. Now. Or I will deliver your punishment myself.” Joker begrudgingly removes his hand. “Right, off limits, blah blah yada yada. You’re no fun, you know that.” You grab Jonathan’s, or technically Scarecrow's hand and start walking across the room again. You are almost to Bane and the exit when you see a familiar face. Talia.

She’s still pretending to be Miranda Tate. She hasn’t revealed her true self. You remember you have a blade up your sleeve as she makes eye contact with you and smirks. Bane must have seen something in your eyes because he moves in front of you and tucks the blade back in. “Please do not darken your heart. We have already had this discussion.”

You concede and nod your head. But you have to walk past her to get to the door. Then she goes and smirks at you again. In a fit of rage you release Scarecrow's hand and storm over to her and punch her right in the face knocking her over. Scarecrow starts laughing, enjoying your moment of rage.

You grab her by her hair and pull her back up. There's blood dripping from her nose. "Smile at me again you stupid cunt." She stays in character, trying to act innocent. "Please, please don't hurt me. Why are you hurting me?"

Your response is to hit her again. Words can’t describe how much you despise her. "You will burn in fire in the bowels of hell for all of your sins. Let's see you crawl out of that fucking hole.” Then you release your hold on her hair. Your voice is full of hatred. “After I watch you burn I'll make sure to throw your rotting body in a nice deep, dark hole."

You can see the rage in her eyes. She flinches at you but stops herself when she sees everyone is watching the two of you. "How dare you." She grits out, her whole body is shaking from how angry she is. "I can't wait to see you fail." Then you shove her, she loses her balance and falls on her ass. You smirk at her like she did to you and turn away.

Standing close by is a man you recognize but have never actually spoken to. Lucius Fox, you've heard he's a good man. He works at Wayne Enterprises and used to help Batman with his fancy weapons. Which gives you an idea. He's currently handcuffed. You point to Lucius but look at Bane. "This one is leaving with me, uncuff him."

"He has not received his judgement yet." You turn to Scarecrow and quirk and eyebrow at him since he was just playing judge. He puts his hands up like he's surrendering. "Give the lady whatever she wants. I'm not messing with her today." You let out an annoyed sigh and pull a bobby pin out of your pocket. You approach Lucius and he's not sure whether to praise you or fear you. Using the bobby pin you unlock his handcuffs and throw them across the room. He rubs his wrists and looks at you questioningly. You’ll talk to him once you get out of here. Thankfully, Bane didn’t try to stop you or even question you about why you wanted to take Lucius.

Once you all get to the front of the building Bane hands you a set of car keys and points to a black SUV sitting in front of the building. “Thank you Bane.” He nods his head once and gives you a hug. He whispers so only you can hear him. “Please calm down and take better care of yourself. You and the child need rest. I will hurry my efforts to get you out of here.” You squeeze him a little tighter and nod your head against his chest. 

“Hey why do people keep saying I’m off limits? Did you go around threatening people or something?” He shrugs his shoulders and you can tell he’s smiling under his mask. “Just ensuring your safety is all.” You just smile back at him and shake your head. Then you hug him once more before you go to leave.

As you walk towards the SUV, Bane stops Scarecrow and whispers something to him. Scarecrow just nods his head and walks away. You’ll have to ask him about that later. “Get in Mr. Fox.” You point towards the back seat of the SUV. He gives you that questioning look again but gets in. Scarecrow hops in the passenger seat, and you start driving back towards the narrows.

Lucius keeps staring at you in the rearview mirror. “Relax Lucius. I’m helping you, not going to harm you.”

“Help me how? And why?”

“Glad you asked. I know you worked for the secret part of Wayne Industries that gives Batman all his neat little gadgets. I also know the nuclear bomb was something from Wayne Enterprises that was weaponized. So I am going to take you to my friends Commissioner James Gordon and Detective John Blake. I’m sure your knowledge will come in handy to them.” You hear Scarecrow grumbling to himself when you mention Detective Blake, but you choose to ignore it.

You can see the surprise in Lucius’s face as you look back at him in the mirror. “Interesting company you keep. You seem to have a wide variety of friends. Tell me how is it that a nurse from Arkham became acquainted with a man like Bane?”

Scarecrow turns around in his seat and narrows his eyes at Lucius. “You sure ask a lot of questions pal.” You put your hand on his shoulder. “It’s fine. And actually, why are you behaving Scarecrow? I was expecting to have to drag you out of there forcefully. What are you up to?”

He laughs but it’s not his crazed laugh you’ve heard so many times. This one seems more real. “I am capable of behaving if I so choose to. And today you seem like a woman who should not be trifled with. You’ll just stab me with a hidden needle, and I don’t feel like having a nap thank you very much.”

Yeah you’re not buying that completely, but that conversation can wait until you get home. “Anyway to answer your question Lucius. How I know Bane is not important, you helping the police however, is important. How did you know I worked at Arkham? Your bat friend tell you about me?”

He nods his head. Bruce must not have told him everything if he doesn’t know who you are, or were to Bane. “Why do you hate Miranda Tate so much? I’ve never seen her be cruel to anyone.”

Both you and Scarecrow start laughing. She must be a very good actress, or the people of Gotham are all just foolish. “Oh my dear Lucius, you don’t know her very well. Me and her go way back. She is definitely not who she appears to be, I’ll tell you that.”

Scarecrow is still laughing. “The look on her face when you punched her was priceless.” You chuckle at that. “Well that’s not the first time I’ve punched her and probably won’t be the last.”

Finally you reach your side of Gotham, and pull up in front of the building Blake told you he was hiding out in. You turn to talk to Lucius but you see Scarecrow reaching for the door. “No! Nope, not gonna happen. Leave Blake alone.” His shoulders slump as he lets out a dramatic sigh and he crosses his arms over his chest looking like a pouting child. Then you turn your attention back to Lucius and tell him where to go in the building. 

“Thank you Ms. Smith. I’m still not quite sure what to think about you, but I do appreciate you getting me out of City Hall.”

“You are very welcome Lucius. If you wouldn’t mind as repayment for me freeing you, could you not tell Gordon and Blake about him?” You tilt your head in Scarecrow’s direction. He gives you a glare in response. Lucius nods his head in agreement and waves goodbye to you. You make sure he gets inside the building before you drive the few blocks to your home. 

  
  


Once you get into your apartment you see that Scarecrow is still sulking. “Will you stop pouting already. And will you take that nasty suit off, you look like a hobo.”

He leans against the kitchen counter like the last time you talked to him. He gives you another stone cold glare as he begrudgingly takes the suit jacket off. “Why are you protecting the cop? How did you know what building he was hiding in? What other secrets are you hiding!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, what is your problem with him?! I ran into him the day I had to sedate your ass when I went to the store. He told me where he was staying in case I needed somewhere to hide. But I told him I wasn’t alone, there was someone waiting for me at home and that we would be fine. It wasn’t a secret, it was just an unimportant event that I forgot about.”

“My problem with the detective is he wants you, and you seem to be painfully oblivious to that as per usual with you.” 

You scoff at him and roll your eyes. Then you angrily throw your jacket off and then your shoes as you storm into the living room. He storms in behind you. “This conversation isn’t over with.” You feel your blood pressure skyrocketing again. You don’t need his jealousy crap right now. 

“I’m pregnant you ass!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun with Scarecrow in this chapter.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are Scarecrow and Jonathan going to react to the surprise news.

CHAPTER 22

  
  


A stunned and speechless Scarecrow is standing before you. He was pissing you off and you just blurted out you were pregnant. Not really how you planned to tell him, but no turning back now. He blinks his eyes a couple times, then opens and closes his mouth looking like a fish as he tries to find the right words to say. “Really?”

After all that, he could only muster up a single word. So you give him a one word reply in return. “Really.” He drops to his knees in front you and puts his hands on your belly underneath your shirt. He looks up at you. “That’s what you’ve been hiding?”

You put one hand on his head and run your fingers through his hair. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything per say. I haven’t been feeling well and I didn’t want to worry Jonathan until I knew for sure. I just took a test last night, and when I woke up he, or I guess I should say you were gone.” He stares at your belly and runs his hands across your skin. Then he looks back up at you and smiles a genuine smile. “We’re going to have a baby.”

He jumps back up to his feet but hesitates. “You aren’t hiding any needles on you are you?” You shake your head no. “None, I promise.” He smiles wide and puts his hands on your face and crashes his lips into yours. It catches you off guard at first. He never behaves this way with you, and you have only kissed him that one time when you were trying to distract him. But you decide to just go with it and kiss him back. 

He breaks the kiss when you tap his shoulder because you need to breathe. “This is really not the reaction I was expecting from you. Did Jonathan think I was hiding something from him? Is that why you’re here?”

He nods his head at you. “Stressed the poor guy out and got himself all worked up.” You plop down on the couch. Scarecrow sits down next to you. He’s more perceptive than you give him credit for sometimes. Now you feel horrible. You didn’t want to worry him, but you accomplished the exact opposite. “That wasn’t my intention I’m sorry, and I’ll obviously explain myself to Jonathan. Now will you tell me why you came along so easily? Kind of out of character for you.”

He wraps his arm around you. “Well dearest, it was clear as day you were beyond pissed. But behind the anger I saw something in your eyes I’ve never seen in you before.”

“Ok….? What?”

“Fear. You’re never afraid, but you were today so I knew it must be serious.”

“Well it is serious and scary. It’s another human being living inside me. And I have the alter ego of the father of my unborn child running around Gotham pretending to be a judge handing out death sentences.” He snorts out a laugh when you say that, and you just glare at him. “To be fair it was death or exile sentences. Not my fault if they can’t skate across the ice.” If you glare any harder at him you might burn holes through him. “Too soon or bad timing? I’m guessing both. Okay I’ll shut up now.”

You roll your eyes at him and rub a hand down your face as you start yawning. Scarecrow looks at you with concern. “You still didn’t sleep much did you?”

“Not really.” You say as you're yawning. He stands up and extends his hand for you to take. But you just stare at him. He gives you an annoyed look. “You need rest, I’ll lay down with you in the bedroom.” You cross your arms over your chest and narrow your eyes at him. Now he’s rolling his eyes at you. “I swear no tricks, scouts honor I’ll behave. And I will stay with you, no sneaking out. You’ll just hunt me down anyway.”

That gets a small smile out of you, and you finally give in and take his hand. He leads you to the bedroom and pulls you down on the bed with him. You lay with your back against his chest, and he wraps his arms around you resting his hands on your belly. As you lay there almost drifting to sleep you remember something. “Scarecrow? What did Bane say to you when we left City Hall?”

He has his face against the back of your neck. His breath tickles your skin when he starts talking. “He told me Jonathan and I better love, cherish, and care for you the way he should have. Then followed with threats of bodily harm should we ever hurt you.” 

You fall asleep moments later with a smile on your face.

  
  


You wake a few hours later to the smell of food cooking. You haven’t eaten for hours so you're starving but the smell makes you nauseous. “Fuck, not again.” You take off running to the bathroom and throw up any remnants left in your stomach. Once the dry heaving stops you drop to the floor and put your back against the wall. The coldness feels good against your skin. “Sweetheart are you sick?”

“Jonathan?” You look up and see his bright blue eyes looking at you worriedly. As you start to pull yourself off the floor you feel nauseous again so you drop yourself back down onto the floor and groan. “Fuck, this sucks.”

“(Y/N) will you please tell me what’s wrong?” You lean forward so you can reach the cabinet under the sink and pull out the pregnancy test you hid the night before. Then you hand it to him as you lean back against the wall again. When he doesn’t say anything you get worried, but you're afraid to look at him.

Suddenly he sits down on the floor next to you. He gently puts his hand on your face and makes you turn your head so you look at him. But you won't look him in the eyes. “(Y/N) do you even want a baby with me? I know I’m still a bit of a mess in my head. Not sure how great of a father I'd be considering mine wasn't a great role model.”

“Scarecrow was excited.” You say sounding exhausted. “You told him first?” He sounds so hurt, and you finally force yourself to look in his eyes. He’s got the sad puppy eyes going on. “Well that wasn’t my plan, but when I woke up you were gone. After I hunted him down and brought him back home he pissed me off and I just kind of blurted it out.”

You climb into Jonathan’s lap, wrap your arms around him and rest your chin on his shoulder. “To answer your first question. I know this wasn’t planned and we never talked about it. But yes I want to have this baby with you. I love you Jonathan. But how do you feel about it?” He moves one hand between your bodies and puts in on your stomach, much like what Scarecrow did. “I want this baby with you. I love you (Y/N). It’s just a little terrifying, the thought of being a father. Not something I ever saw in the cards for myself.”

You lean back so you can see his face and he’s smiling at you. You put your hands on his face, and smile back at him. “We’re going to have a baby Jonathan.”

“Yes we are sweetheart.” He leans forward to kiss you but you put your hand over his mouth to stop him and he frowns at you. “Just got done puking remember?”

“Right, sorry.” You kiss his forehead. “Just let me clean myself up, and I have quite the story to tell you.”

  
  


The next day you're lying on the couch with Jonathan. He keeps touching your stomach, which you don’t mind. But as you keep reminding him you aren’t going to look pregnant for a while. Yesterday you apologized to him for making him think you were hiding things from him. You explained everything. Then you told him about Scarecrow’s shenanigans. He was both amused and horrified.

He begged you to rest today, and try to relax. If you stop stressing, maybe the insomnia will get better. So you’re just lying on the couch together watching old movies. Suddenly there’s a knock on your door. The only people that come over are Barsad and Bane. You go to get up but Jonathan stops you. “Rest, remember you promised. I’ll get the door.” 

Resting and relaxing are very hard for you. You’ve always been a busy person, you spent most of your time at Arkham and with your patients. So this resting concept is going to take some getting used to.

You hear the door shut and Barsad comes into your eye line with Jonathan trailing behind him. He’s got a bright smile on his face. “Is it true? Am I going to be an uncle?” You sit up on the couch so he can sit down next to you. You smile and nod your head. “Bane has a big mouth. I was going to tell you myself.” When he plops down next to you on the couch he pulls you into a hug. He’s really excited about being an uncle, you’re not sure what kind of reaction you were expecting from him.

Barsad and Jonathan seem to get along really well, which you are very thankful for. Jonathan is still hesitant around Bane which you understand, but he’s trying. 

You made it very clear to Barsad that he was coming with you and Jonathan when Bane secures your way out of Gotham. He didn’t even try to argue, and now he’s even happier because he’ll have a niece or nephew to spoil. 

Jonathan decided to go take a quick shower and let you and Barsad visit alone for a little while. As the two of you are talking you’re interrupted by another knock on the door. You look at Barsad. “Was Bane coming?” His face goes serious and he shakes his head no. “I know it’s not Bane, he was busy when I left. He’s trying to workout his plan to get us out of here.”

“I’ll answer it, you stand behind the door since you are armed like a one man army.” He just smiles at your words, and nods his head in agreement. Once Barsad gets in position behind the door you crack it open. You have a couple visitors. It's Blake, Lucius, and the last one baffles you because it’s none other than Bruce Wayne. Blake looks kind of pissed as he addresses you. “Annie, I think we have some things to talk about.”

You can hear Jonathan is out of the shower and walking around in the bedroom. You hold up your index finger. “Hold that thought. Give me a minute.” Then you shut the door in their faces.

Barsad’s eyes are wide. “How the fuck is Bruce Wayne here Barsad? I thought you threw him in the pit?!”

“We did. I was there.”

“They aren’t going to give up easily. I think I should talk to them. Can you go warn Jonathan before I let them in?” He goes down the hall to your bedroom as you asked. You take a deep breath and open the door back up partially. "Where's Gordon? Why isn't he with you?"

Blake sighs in annoyance. "Busy doing some recon on the bomb. Now are you going to let us in or what?"

“Are you boys armed?”

Blake shows you his gun with a scowl on his face. You know Bruce doesn’t use guns, but he’s got a couple gadgets on him. And you weren't worried about Lucius. “I will let you in on the condition that you keep your weapons holstered at all times. I’m not the only one in this apartment. I assure you no one here will harm you, but I need to know you won’t try to harm them.”

“Fine.” Is all Blake says. Bruce nods his head in agreement. You look over your shoulder and Barsad gives you a thumbs up. So you pull the door open all the way letting the men inside. After you shut the door you lead them to the living room. Blake spots Barsad and his pissed off face looks furious. "Let me get this straight, you are married to Bane and dating one of his henchmen on the side?" So Bruce told them what he knew apparently. 

"Ok whoa Blake slow down. My personal relationships aren't anyone's business. But if you must know, I'm not legally married to anyone. This is Barsad, we grew up together and adopted each as siblings. He is my brother."

Just then Jonathan slowly walks out of the bedroom and moves across the room to stand by you and you take his hand. "Jonathan Crane is my boyfriend." Jonathan gives you a small smile when you say that. Neither of you have actually said the term boyfriend or girlfriend out loud.

Blake looks at you incredulously "So not only do you know the people terrorizing the city, you're also dating your patient? Not just any patient, but the former Dr. Crane who was certified insane after he attacked Gotham. Aren't there rules against that? Wait is that why he kept trying to attack me?!"

Jonathan drops his head, looking ashamed. You squeeze his hand to let him know it's okay. "Everything you just said was Scarecrow that did those things. Jonathan isn't violent at all. And me knowing the people terrorizing the city as you say, it’s complicated."

"I feel like I don't even know who you are Annie. I thought you were better than this."

When you go to speak a wave of nausea hits you. "Oh god." You grip onto Jonathan's arm with one hand and cover your mouth with the other. Then you take off running to the bathroom.

Blake huffs in annoyance. "Great, she's going to fake sick now." Jonathan ignores him and goes to check on you. Barsad crosses his arms and stares at the men standing across from him. "She is faking nothing. You should not speak to my sister in such a way. She is the kindest most selfless person you will ever meet."

When you finally reemerge with Jonathan it looks like you walked in on a glaring contest. Lucius acknowledges you first. "You alright Ms. Smith?"

"Yeah I'm alright now. Thank you Lucius."

"If you don’t mind me asking how far along are you?" Well he's a perceptive one. You give him a small smile. "Not far, 5 or 6 weeks. Just found out."

Blake looks like his head is about to explode. You sit down on the loveseat with Jonathan across from your visitors. Barsad stays standing next to you. You look over to the man that has yet to speak. “You are awfully quiet Bruce. I have to admit I am very surprised to see you here.”

“You knew where I was? So you have known this entire time what Bane has been planning. Well Bane isn't the only one with the will to climb out of that hell hole.”

You frown and shake your head. “I honestly knew nothing, and still don’t. The only thing he told me before it actually happened is that he was taking you home. I truly only thought they were here for you, but obviously that turned out to be false.” Bruce leans back on the couch and crosses his arms. “So the rumors I heard about the Pit were true. He’s the child of Ra’s Al Ghul, born there and escaped from there. So is this all about revenge for the death of Ra’s Al Ghul?” 

You and Barsad start laughing hysterically. Jonathan is biting his lip to hold back his smile. You look to Barsad and have a silent conversation with each other. He nods his head and you shrug your shoulders. You turn back to your guests. “Oh Bruce for someone who is supposed to be smart you are awfully daft sometimes. I already told you that was wrong. Bane is not the child of Ra’s Al Ghul. He was a prisoner in the Pit but certainly not born there.”

Bruce leans forward resting his elbows on his knees. “Then how about you straighten the story out and actually start giving some real answers. For the sake of your unborn child I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck in the middle of this. Especially since that bomb is on a timer. Bane never had any intention of letting anyone leave alive, including the league. That thing is going to blow with or without the trigger no matter what. If you are as caring as everyone says you are I’m sure you don’t want all those innocent deaths weighing on your shoulders if you could have prevented it.”

You slowly turn your head towards Barsad, with your eyes full of hurt and anger. “Did you know? Did you know this was a suicide mission the entire time?!” He puts his hands up like he’s surrendering as you jump to your feet. “I swear I had no idea. They don’t tell me everything you know that.” He can see the tears welling in your eyes and pulls you to him wrapping his arms around you. “I swear sister. I would not lie to you. I would have left with you sooner had I known.”

Once you calm down enough you hug Barsad and sit back down next to Jonathan. He takes your hand and laces your fingers together. You wipe your eyes with your free hand, and look back to Bruce. “My real name is (Y/N) Al Ghul, I am the eldest child of Ra’s Al Ghul. I was not born in the Pit. I have never even seen the Pit. My father never made me an assassin or a league member because I was not expendable to him. So I trained to become the personal doctor to the League of Shadows. When I left, Bruce, you were still there training with my father. I had no hand in his horrible deeds, but I certainly feel guilty for them.” You can see the shock and disbelief on all of their faces. 

Bruce composes himself. “So that’s why you hate me so much, because I had a hand in Ra’s Al Ghul’s death? You are his heir, shouldn’t you be leading the league? Did you lose control or did you hand over control to Bane?” 

You give him a humorless smile and shake your head. “The last time we talked I told you the truth. I left Nanda Parbat over six years ago. I didn’t agree with my father’s ways, and couldn’t watch him destroy anymore lives. I was a doctor I save lives, not take lives. I never returned home after he died, I didn’t see the point. I have no business leading assassins when I don’t believe in what they were trained for. After I left the only person I had any kind of contact with from home was Barsad. The first time I saw Bane since I left home was that night Selina Kyle saw us in the tunnels.”

Bruce looks confused. Lucius looks like he's putting puzzle pieces together in his mind. "Bruce, she said she was the eldest child. She has a sibling, and I don't think she means the man standing next to her. It’s Miranda Tate isn’t it? You told me you’ve known each other a long time."

You start clapping your hands. “Bravo Lucius. I knew you were the smart one out of the bunch. Miranda Tate is actually Talia Al Ghul, my younger half sister who is the most awful person I’ve had the displeasure of knowing. She was born in the Pit and lived there until Bane helped her escape. She is leading the league and Bane is merely her loyal puppet.” Again you have three shocked faces looking back at you. “Sorry Bruce, she played you like a fiddle. I know you really thought she liked you. I suppose I should tell you my story from the beginning so you can maybe start to understand Talia.”

You go on to tell them the entire story about your parents, Bane, Talia, and the league, and all the life events leading up until now. They all listen to you intently until your story is finished. Once you’re done you look at Blake. He looks less angry at least. “Blake I’m sorry if I made you feel betrayed. But I hope maybe you can understand why I didn’t tell anyone my name or where I was from. The second my name is heard I’m compared to my father and I hope you can see that I’m nothing like him.”

He stays silent for a moment like he’s contemplating. He starts nodding his head and looks at you. “Yeah Annie I understand your reasoning. It’s just a lot to take in, and is going to take a while for all of it to sink in. But I don’t necessarily agree with all of your actions.” He side eyes Jonathan as he says the last part.

“Okay, fair enough.” Then you look back at Bruce. “I’m not pleased that you killed my father, but I know he brought his death upon himself. I don’t want revenge, I’m not that kind of person. And Bane isn’t the monster, Talia is. Talia wants revenge and to finish what our father started. Which I don’t understand why, our father excommunicated her. They had a falling out before he died.”

Bruce perks up. “Miranda, I mean Talia was excommunicated? I thought Bane was. Why did your father do that to his own daughter?” 

You shrug your shoulders. “Bane left because Talia had to. Then she told everyone he was the one that was excommunicated. I don’t know what happened though. I wasn’t there, and no one ever told me.” You turn to Barsad to address him. “You were there. Do you know what happened?”

Barsad has a guilty expression on his face and looks nervous, which is very unlike him. “Barsad?” He lets out a heavy sigh. “Bane will kill me if I tell you.” You roll your eyes. “Bane won’t kill you. I told him I would never forgive him if anything were to happen to you. Now what are you not telling me?”

He nervously runs his hand through his hair and wipes his hand down his face. Then he takes a deep breath. “Okay fine. Time you knew anyway I suppose. Talia overheard a conversation between me and Bane. He was going to leave the league permanently to go find you, and asked me to come with him. Of course I agreed. She was extremely angry when she found out, so she tried hiring league members to kill you. None of them would do it though, you are loved by all which only pissed her off more. So she started looking elsewhere, and found a hitman to kill you. Word got back to Bane and he pleaded with Talia. He swore to her he would stay with her if she leaves you alone. He traded his life for yours. The league members she first approached went to your father about what she was planning and that’s when he excommunicated her. And I was told never to speak of it again.”

You are staring at Barsad in shock with silent tears streaming down your face. “I…...I….I’m sorry. I need a minute.” Then you jump off the couch and run into your bedroom, slamming the door shut behind you. You throw yourself on the bed, cover your face with a pillow, and start crying uncontrollably. All this time you thought Bane would rather be loyal to your sister than be with you. But actually he enslaved himself to save you, because that’s how much he loves you. 

So caught up in your anguish you don’t hear the bedroom door open, or feel the bed dip. You don’t realize you're not alone until you feel arms wrap around you. “Sweetheart, come here please. You need to try to calm down.”

Jonathan pulls you to him and you cry into his chest. To the point you are almost hyperventilating. So he pulls you up so he can see your face. "(Y/N) look at me. Remember the first time you helped me through a panic attack. Breath with me sweetheart." You open your eyes but your vision is blurry from the tears which he seems to figure out. So he puts your hand on his chest. "Breath with me (Y/N). Slow deep breaths. Stay with me." 

You try to slow your breathing to match his. You follow the rise and fall of his chest that you feel with your hand. Eventually you start breathing normally again, and you try wiping the tears from your face. "Thank you." You whisper quietly. Jonathan runs his fingers through your hair and lets you rest your head back on his chest.

"We need to help them stop Talia. Put all of this to an end."

"What happens to us when Bane's free of Talia?" Jonathan says quietly. Almost as if he were afraid to say it out loud. You lift your head and put a hand on his face. "We go make a new home for ourselves and raise our baby together. What Barsad told me hurts, a lot. But it doesn't change anything between us, I promise."

Jonathan pulls you to him so he can kiss you. He kisses you until you're both breathless. When he breaks the kiss he holds your face in his hands. "I love you so much (Y/N).

You kiss him once more. "I love you too."

Once you clean yourself up enough to look presentable again you and Jonathan go back to the living room. All eyes turn to you when they hear your bedroom door open. "Sorry about that fellas." You squeeze Barsad's hand as you walk back into the room letting him know it's okay.

"Bruce, if you want to get the trigger for the bomb it will be on Talia. You'll have the element of surprise in your favor, as long as she doesn’t catch on that you know anything. You being out of the Pit will be enough of a shock to her so she shouldn’t suspect anything. Barsad you are going to help Blake get the cops out of the tunnels. You know the tunnels inside and out, and where the weak spots are. I'll try to reason with Bane. Talia's reign of terror is coming to an end."

Bruce gives you a small smile. "Okay let's come up with a plan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we are nearing the end of this story. Probably only two or three more chapters. I know how I want it to end I just have to figure out how to get there.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final show down with Talia

CHAPTER 23

  
  


Sleep. You miss sleep so much. You are feeling raw and exposed after telling so many people your story, but it had to be done or they wouldn't understand. Then there’s the bomb Barsad dropped on you about Bane. You don’t even know what to do with that information. Maybe once Talia is dealt with you'll be able to sleep like a normal person again. Once again you're enviously watching Jonathan sleep peacefully beside you. 

You're also thinking about what's to come. Barsad and Blake are going to free all the cops that are trapped underground in the tunnels. Bruce is going to let himself get captured so he can get close to Talia and find the trigger to the bomb. As long as he doesn't let on he knows who she is everything should be fine.

Gordon and Lucius are working on a safe way to disarm the bomb or get it out of the city.

And you need to talk with Bane. If Bruce can't get the trigger maybe you can convince Bane. Also he can keep in control of the league while Talia is dealt with. You have so much to say to him you don't know where to start.

"Do you have to think so loudly?"

"Scarecrow?"

He cracks his eyes open. "In the flesh." You just stare at him blankly for a moment. "Is he really that stressed? We talked, I thought we were fine."

Scarecrow rolls his eyes. "Yes well Jonathan tends to do a lot of internal fretting. It's exhausting. So just tell me the truth. Are you leaving us for Bane?"

"I'm really tired of having this conversation. But in light of what Barsad told me I suppose I understand. No I'm not leaving you or Jonathan for Bane. I do need to talk to him though."

Scarecrow just stares into your eyes. You're not sure what he's looking for. "Okay I believe you." Well that was easy. He must have found what he was looking for then.

He smirks at you. Which makes you frown. He puts his hand on your cheek and rubs his thumb along your cheekbone. "I was just thinking, Jonathan seems to forget I actually met you first. The first three days in Arkham were with me."

You scoff and roll your eyes. "Yeah and you were a huge pain in the ass who insisted on doing everything the hard way. You've actually always been a pain in the ass. Except for this last time we were together after I brought you home."

He shrugs his shoulders. "Had to test the waters with you somehow. Jonathan certainly wasn't going to."

You smack him on the chest playfully. "See pain in the ass. Hey, can I ask you something?" He nods his head. "Go for it."

"Why do you remember or know things Jonathan does but he doesn't remember things about you?" 

He leans up on his elbow and thinks for a moment. "I honestly don't think he wants to remember. All that fretting he does. He still struggles when it comes to dealing with fears which is where I come in."

You lean up on your elbow mimicking his position. "I suppose that makes sense. So all that testing the waters crap, have we moved past that now?" He smiles at you and moves his hand to your belly. "Yes, I've seen the murderous look in your eye. I know when to quit while I'm ahead."

You chuckle at that. “Okay what about your need for mayhem and spreading fear?” He rubs his hand along your belly as he’s thinking. “Well I won’t lie to you. The thoughts and urges are still there. But I have a family of my own to start thinking about now.”

“Well it’s a start so I can’t complain. Thank you for being honest.” He leans forward and captures your lips for a kiss. When he pulls away he holds your chin with his thumb and forefinger. “Since we are both awake. Shall we go find Bane and get this day over with?” 

You lay down flat on the bed and look up towards the ceiling. You didn’t want to take Jonathan with you, and you’re not sure how you feel about taking Scarecrow. Suddenly he’s leaning over you pulling you from your thoughts. “You didn’t really think I’d let you go alone did you?” You put your hands on his face. “I suppose not. Let’s get dressed.” He leans further down to capture your lips for another kiss. He practically shoves his tongue down your throat and one of his hands roams across every bit of bare skin he can find making you moan into his mouth. When he breaks the kiss he’s smiling mischievously at you. “We’ll have to pick this up at a later time. And I’ll show you what else I can do to you with my tongue.”

As he jumps off the bed you’re left staring at the ceiling in a bit of a daze. You don’t know what’s gotten into him, but it’s not a bad change at least. Eventually you come to your senses and make yourself climb out of bed and get dressed. Before you and Scarecrow leave you grab a couple of your blades and hide them on your body like you did before. “Are you going to give me one?” You look at Scarecrow and quirk an eyebrow at him. Did he seriously just ask you that? But what if something goes wrong, what if Talia figures out you’ve got people working against her. You bite your lip and narrow your eyes at him. “If I do, you need to swear to me you will only use it in self defense and no killing anyone.”

He gives you a devious smile and holds up two fingers. “Scouts honor my darling.” You roll your eyes and grab one of his arms. “This is serious. I'm putting a lot of trust in you by doing this.” You start tucking a blade up his sleeve and his face goes serious for a moment. “I know you are, and thank you. I promise to only take it out if I have to.” You look into his eyes and see the sincerity so you nod your head once.

  
  


You still have the black SUV that Bane gave you so you and Scarecrow hop in and start driving towards City Hall. It’s still early morning, the sun hasn’t risen yet. Your mind is racing on what you should say to Bane first. And you’re also wondering how Bruce is doing. Scarecrow grabs your hand and laces your fingers together. “You think too much.” You just give him a small smile and shrug your shoulders.

As you pull up to City Hall you see several league members outside. They have their guns drawn until you climb out of the SUV. Once they see its you, they lower their guns. They point you in Bane’s direction. He’s standing just inside the entrance, and he’s alone. He must have been expecting you. Scarecrow is still holding your hand. You squeeze his hand to get his attention. “Do you mind waiting here at the door so I can talk to him for a minute?” He kisses your forehead and releases your hand. “Go on. I’ll be right here where I can see you.”

Bane knew something was up when Barsad returned last night. He confessed to what he told you. Bane knew there was more going on, but he didn't press any further. Then Bruce Wayne being brought in caught him by surprise and that's difficult to accomplish. He decided to patiently wait and see what plays out before he makes any decisions.

  
  


Bane is leaning against a large pillar staring out the window towards where the sun is beginning to rise. You walk across the room and stand next to him. He keeps his eyes on the sunrise as he gently takes hold of your hand and slowly exhales. “The day we said our vows we stayed up all night and watched the sunrise together the next morning. Whenever I watch a sunrise it makes me think of that day. In our vows I promised to always love and protect you. I have always kept that promise (Y/N).”

You move and stand in front of him so that he will look at you and place your hands on his chest. “That day was the happiest I have ever been. I made the same promises. It’s hard to keep a promise if the truth is hidden from me. You promised to never lie to me. So why did you lie to me?”

You can see in his eyes that your words hurt. “I did not lie. You believed I stayed because of a promise I made her which is true. You just did not know it was a different promise that kept me.”

“That’s a loophole and you know it. You still hid the truth from me. I deserved to know the whole truth. You let me believe all these years that your loyalty to her was more important to you than our marriage and our vows to each other. So I ask again, why didn’t you tell me?”

He puts his big hands on your face. Both of you have glossy eyes. “It was the only way to ensure your safety. The only way to truly stop her was for me to stay or to kill her. I could not find the courage to end her life. I would see that small innocent child I once protected and could not go through with it. I could not allow you to find out. I knew it would be a matter of time before she pushed you too far. You would never forgive yourself if you ended a life. No matter who the person is or what they did you believe life should be cherished and I have always admired that about you.”

There’s tears streaming down your face. Bane’s eyes are glossy, he’s trying to hold his own tears back. “That’s not fair for you to decide on your own. We were supposed to be equals, two halves of a whole. I love you Bane. What about your own life? Why should you have to sacrifice your own life for her selfishness? You should have just thrown her back in the fucking Pit and washed your hands of her!”

Bane wipes your tears away and you see a stray tear dripping down his own face before it disappears into his mask. “Perhaps, but that does not change anything. I love you (Y/N). I am sorry for hurting you. But your life is the only one that mattered to me. So it was not a sacrifice.” You both hear some racket coming from outside. “Now please tell me (Y/N), what have you and Barsad done?”

Suddenly Barsad comes barreling into the room with Blake trailing behind him. “(Y/N) It’s going to be a war. We freed all of the police from the tunnels but Talia has all of the league gathered ready to shoot on her command. It’s going to be a bloodbath. We have to get you out of here.”

On a whim you make a quick decision. Hopefully it doesn’t backfire. “No I’m not running. Blake, can you hold the police back? Don’t let them start firing their weapons.” 

“Yeah I can try. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll stop the league.” Bane tries to grab your arm to stop you but you pull out of his reach. Scarecrow looks at you questioningly as you run towards the door he’s standing at. “Please trust me.” You call out to him. He gives you a slight nod. Him and Barsad follow close behind you. You hear Bane calling after you, but even he can’t make you stop right now. 

You don’t see Talia, but she must be close by. There’s a large intersection in front of City Hall. The police are all gathered on the right side of the intersection and the league on the left. There’s a man from the league shouting into a microphone for the police to disperse immediately or else they will open fire. Blake runs towards the police waving his hands and shouting at them to stop. 

You run and grab the microphone out of the man’s hands. Then you run out into the street standing before the entire League of Shadows gathered in the street. 

“I am (Y/N) Al Ghul. Eldest child of Ra’s Al Ghul and I invoke my birth right and take control of the League of Shadows! You will lower your weapons immediately.”

They all thankfully obey.

Suddenly Talia appears. She was hidden around the corner of a building. “I am your leader, not her. She abandoned all of you, turned her back on us. Now you will fire on my command!” 

About half the men raise their guns again. Well maybe if you plead with them, you think to yourself. “I am sorry I did not return home after my father died. I did not think you needed me. Clearly I was wrong. Who was the one that stitched your wounds, mended your broken bones, and put you back together? I did. I care about you. You are not expendable to me, your lives matter. Talia does not care about a single one of you. Let me show you another way to live. I will give you all a home, I will care for all of you. I will never abandon you again. I swear. Just please lower your weapons. Do not spill any blood for Talia.”

Barsad walks up next to you and drops all of his weapons on the ground. “Trust (Y/N), she speaks the truth. You all know this.” It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Then you hear the sounds of guns being dropped to the ground. Everyone in the league drops their weapons and raises their hands to show they are unarmed. You turn around to see if Blake got anywhere with the police. He’s pleading with them just like you did. Once they see the league listened to you they all also slowly begin to holster their guns. Blake gives you a big smile and you sigh in relief. 

That relief is short lived. Talia took advantage of everyone’s distraction and is holding a knife to Jonathan’s, well, Scarecrow's throat. And she's dragging him back inside City Hall. You feel like you are watching in slow motion. Your heart feels like it's going to beat out of your chest. Barsad puts his hand on your shoulder. "Go. I'll keep everything under control out here."

Your take off running back into the City Hall building. Talia is standing in the middle of the room. She has a knife in one hand pressed against Scarecrow's throat and the trigger to the bomb in her other hand. Well looks like Bruce wasn’t able to get the trigger. 

"Let him go Talia. This is between us. He has nothing to do with this."

"Of course he does. You ruined everything in my life. I will ruin everything in yours. Starting with your broken minded lover."

You can't think of anything to do that won't result in her cutting Jonathan or triggering the bomb. And where the fuck did Bane go? "Talia how did I ruin your life? I left, so for years you should have had everything you wanted. You had our father, Bane, and the league with me out of your way."

She scoffs at you. "No matter what I did I was still always compared to you. They all thought you to be perfect in every way. But I know how sad and pathetic you are. Still you blinded Bane and tried to take him from me. He was supposed to be mine! So now I will honor our father and complete his work, and you can burn with this city."

"Release him now Talia." Bane's voice echoes through the room. But she makes no movement. "We had an agreement. Let him go."

She shakes her head angrily. "No! The deal was I wouldn't kill her. Her new toy wasn't part of that agreement. How can you still love her? Look at this sad excuse of a man she replaced you with."

While she is arguing with Bane, Scarecrow is smirking at you. You narrow your eyes at him trying to convey it’s really not a good time. But he shifts his eyes downward a couple times and moves his hand slightly. Then you realize why he's smirking, he has the blade in his sleeve. You tell him with your eyes to go for her leg. You are going to throw your blade at her arm holding the trigger.

Her and Bane are still going back and forth. You count down with your fingers so you and Scarecrow move at the same time. When you get to one finger you both drop the blades from your sleeves. Scarecrow stabs her in the thigh making her lose focus on the trigger. You throw your blade and it goes into her forearm causing her to drop the trigger. Scarecrow moves out of her grasp and runs across the room to you. He wraps his arms around you protectively. 

You pull another blade out of your boot and have every intention of going for her throat with this one. Scarecrow keeps a hold of you when you try to pull away. “No you can’t fight her. What about the baby?”

Talia’s explicit yelling turns into an evil but hysterical laugh. She pulls your knife out of her arm and drops it on the ground. “You are pregnant? This is perfect. I couldn’t have planned it better myself. I’m going to let you live but you’re going in the Pit. Then your own child will have to live as I did.” She goes to reach for the trigger but Bane picks it up and crushes it with one hand. Then moves to stand between you and Talia, blocking you from her view.

“That is enough Talia. You will do nothing of the sort. I am ending this like I should have a long time ago.” Then the sound of glass shattering gets your attention. Bruce Wayne dressed in his full Batman costume is breaking through the full glass wall on one of his fancy motorcycles with Selina Kyle sitting on the back. He’s moving too fast so he crashes into one of the large pillars making it crack. Bane keeps his eyes on Talia as he pulls something out of his pocket and tosses it to Bruce. “Get that to Mr. Fox and he can disarm the bomb.”

So that’s where Bane disappeared to. He freed Bruce and grabbed the fail safe for the bomb. 

“You traitor!” Talia lunges towards Bruce but Bane catches her. She’s screaming, yelling, and clawing at Bane. Bruce nods his head and takes off with Selina. He gives you a thumbs up as he runs past you.

The cracked pillar starts cracking more and the ceiling above starts to crack along with it. 

Bane keeps his arms wrapped around Talia holding her back. He looks you in the eyes. “Forgive me my love.” Then he looks to Scarecrow. “You made a promise. I need you to keep it. Get her out of here now.” Then Bane looks back to you telling you everything he wants to say to you with only his eyes. Scarecrow picks you up and throws you over his shoulder. You’re extending your arms like you’re trying to reach for Bane. Calling for him, pleading with him. You’re getting carried further and further away from him. But you keep your eyes locked onto his. He takes his mask off and you can tell he’s saying “I love you.” You can even see the pain in his eyes but you don’t know if it’s from taking his mask off or from watching you be taken away.

Bane pulls another trigger out of his pocket. Once you get outside the building he pushes the trigger button and the City Hall building bursts into flames and collapses in on itself. 

You can’t hear anything but the sound of someone screaming. You don’t realize it’s your own screams you are hearing. Scarecrow and Barsad try to calm you but you keep screaming for Bane and trying to run into the demolished building. Until suddenly you feel very tired and everything goes black.


	24. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing endings are hard.

CHAPTER 24

Epilogue

It’s a bright warm summer day. You’re sitting outside with your back against a tree rubbing your very pregnant belly. The sun catches the diamond ring on your finger making it sparkle and reflect on the shadow of the tree. With a smile on your face you watch your husband pushing your daughter on the swing set. He must feel you watching him. Jonathan turns his head in your direction and gives you a bright smile. Hope is 4 years old now. She has dark brown hair, bright blue eyes and a face full of freckles. You and Jonathan got married just before she was born. Your son is due to be born in about two months, but you still haven’t agreed on a name. Only one name ever pops into your head, but you don’t say it out loud.

You try not to think about him, but you’re always unsuccessful with that. That day outside City Hall is forever etched into your mind. Bane demolished City Hall with him and Talia inside. There were also a couple unfortunate league members still inside the building. That’s what he meant when he said he was going to end it the way he should have a long time ago. He ended Talia, but ended up going down with her. According to Barsad you were so hysterical Scarecrow found a sedation needle you had hidden in your jacket and ended up giving it to you. Which is why you blacked out shortly after the explosion. 

When the city started sifting through the rubble there were a few badly burned bodies beyond recognition. No tears were shed over Talia. But when Bane’s mask was found it made your heart break more. But Jonathan helped pull you back together. It took some time, but he was patient. And when Jonathan would have his own bad days Scarecrow stepped in and took care of you. 

Once the city reopened and started rebuilding there was talk of bringing charges against you and Barsad. You refused to name any of the league members. Thankfully you have friends in the right places. Commissioner Gordon stood up for you and several GCPD police officers including Detective Blake. Apparently your plea to the league was recorded. Once you told your full story to clear your name and Barsad’s you were seen as a hero. A hero for saving thousands of police officers lives that day. For stopping the bloodshed. You never felt like a hero. You should have tried sooner to stop Talia. Maybe more lives could have been saved, including Bane's.

Everything was blamed solely on Talia and Bane. You tried clearing Bane’s name but he was the face everyone saw during Talia’s attempts to destroy Gotham. There was just too much damage done, but the people you cared about most knew the truth. So you would just have to live with that. 

Sometimes you think you can feel his presence. Like he's somehow watching over you. It's wishful thinking on your part, but it helps you cope.

You kept your promise to the league. You dismantled the League of Shadows. But you gave them all new homes and jobs. Since you had an abundance of money saved away from your trust and your inheritance from your father, money was no issue for you. You started a private security company and put Barsad in charge. A good portion of the league members work there. All the security at Arkham are now league former league members. Some of them wanted a complete change so you placed them anywhere they wanted to be. You acquired some newly built apartment buildings to house them. Anytime they needed anything they would come to you or Barsad and you would help them in any way you could. 

Bruce Wayne faked his death after Lucius disarmed the bomb and he ran off with Selina Kyle to start a new life. He said Gotham didn’t need Batman anymore and it was time he lived his own life. They are somewhere in Europe according to Bruce’s lifelong friend and butler Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred gave you Wayne Manor. Neither of you wanted anyone finding the hidden cave with all of Batman’s fancy weapons and gadgets. And Alfred said he wanted to see the house full of life again and give it to a family. 

Somehow you were named as next of kin in “Miranda Tate’s” will and inherited Wayne Enterprises. You happily handed the company over to Lucius Fox knowing it would be in safe hands with him. 

Blake and you eventually reconciled and became friends again. He even friended Barsad, and he’s not quite friends with Jonathan but they are at least polite to each other. And Scarecrow, well he still hates Blake. 

Jonathan has gotten a lot better over the years, but like everyone he still has his bad days. So Scarecrow is never completely gone. You just don’t see him as frequently. You were able to get Jonathan released to your custody so he didn’t have to go back to Arkham. He has to go to weekly counseling sessions. He doesn’t work, he’s a stay at home dad which he very much enjoys. You went back to Arkham once patients started being brought back in but only part time and now everyone knows you own the place. Anyone who wanted their jobs back at Arkham was hired first. None of your former patients were ever brought in. They all made it across the bridge the day you released them. 

Even Mary and Theo came back. Mary was a little upset you kept so many secrets but she’s also understanding. And she felt like she owed you for saving her and her daughters. Theo thought your story was amazing and was constantly bugging you for details. 

When the GCPD has a difficult criminal to apprehend they will sometimes call in your private security company since they all have a special skill set. Blake and Barsad recaptured Joker. You assigned an entire wing of Arkham to Joker and called it the Joker Wing just like you had told Mary you would. You gave that wing to Brock. He thought it was your way of apologizing until he realized it was a punishment. Harleen was also apprehended but she was shipped off somewhere else, somewhere in Louisiana. 

Things turned out great for everyone you care about. Everyone except for Bane. Your thoughts always drift back to him even without trying. It’s been years but you can still picture every detail of his face in your mind. 

  
  


“What are you thinking so hard about?” Jonathan is kneeling down on the ground in front of you. He knows you still miss Bane, which he’s very understanding about. So he knows when you get a certain look on your face that you need to be pulled out of your mind and into the present. 

You put your hands on his face and smile at him. “Just thinking about baby names. And hoping this one has your eyes too. Your eyes were the first thing that drew me to you.” He gives you a bright smile and leans in and kisses you. You start giggling against his lips and he pulls back giving you a questioning look. “I think he knew we were talking about him. He’s kicking like crazy.” You grab Jonathan’s hands and put them on your belly. He’s smiling from ear to ear when he feels the baby kicking. “He’s going to be a ball of energy just like Hope. They are going to keep us on our toes.”

Jonathan leans in and kisses you again. You two get a little carried away and hear two little voices. “Eeeewwww.” It’s Hope and Anna. Anna is Barsad’s daughter, he named her after you. She’s about a year younger than Hope. Barsad and his family live with you in the former Wayne Manor. It’s a mansion and it’s way too big for three people. You took half and Barsad took half. It works well for your families and you and Barsad couldn’t be happier. 

“Did you catch them kissing again?” Barsad’s standing a few feet away smirking at you. You stick your tongue out at him. The girls start giggling and run towards Barsad each one pulling on one of his arms begging him to come play. “After we eat. It’s time for dinner and your uncles just got here.” They jump up and down and clap their hands and take off running back towards the house.

Jonathan stands up and watches the girls run to the back patio. “Little help here my darling husband.” You grunt as you try to get up off the ground but it’s just not working out. “I’m so sorry sweetheart.” He quickly leans back down and helps pull you off the ground. You feel breathless already when you stand up. “Ya I don’t think I’ll be doing that again. Gonna need a chair from now on.” Jonathan chuckles as he wraps his arms around you and kisses your forehead. “That’s why you said yesterday.” You playfully smack him on the chest. “I have pregnancy brain. I’m allowed to be a little forgetful.”

Jonathan smiles at you and looks around to make sure no children are watching. Then he crashes his lips against yours. You're wearing a sundress so he runs his hand up your bare thigh as you make out like horny teenagers behind a tree. You eventually break the kiss. "We'll have to continue this later baby. Just a matter of time before someone comes looking for us."

Jonathan sighs dramatically "I know. It's just hard to keep my hands off you." He grabs your hand and walks with you back towards the mansion. You see Hope and Anna excitedly talking to their uncles. Hope is calling for you. “Mommy I need help with the answer.”

You walk over towards her. “Okay, let me hear it.” 

“I follow you all the time and copy your every move, but you can’t touch me or catch me. What am I?” You lean close to Hope and whisper into her ear. “It’s a shadow Uncle Eddie.” She says full of excitement. You walk over to Eddie and give him a hug. He puts his hands on your belly and smiles. “He’s getting so big. Did you pick a name yet? Edward is a very sophisticated name if I do say so myself. Edward Crane has a nice ring to it.”

“No Oswald sounds more sophisticated. Your name is boring.” Oz blurts out. You roll your eyes and shake your head. You walk over to Oswald and give him a hug. “Are you boys really going to have this argument again? Can we have dinner before you start bickering with each other?” The girls are pulling on Eddie and Oswald fighting over who gets to sit next to both of them. You quirk your eyebrow at Eddie and Oz. “See you’re rubbing off on them. They bicker like the two of you.”

Eddie and Oswald come over every Sunday for dinner. When Gotham reopened the bridges they came and found you. They are technically still wanted, but you don’t want them locked back up in Arkham. They have both come a long way and most importantly they have behaved the whole time they’ve been out. They haven’t resorted back to their old ways, and promised if they were having a particularly bad day they would come to you. So you’ve kept their whereabouts to yourself.

You meant it when you told them both that you loved them and that they were like family to you. Which is why your daughter and niece call them their uncles. Some old habits die hard though. They still bicker like an old married couple. Their current argument that has been going on for months is trying to get you to name the baby after one of them.

You’re sitting on the back patio at the large dining table. You are surrounded by your family, the people you love most, thinking about everything that had to happen for you to get to this point in your life. Jonathan cups your cheek and turns your head to face him. He rests his forehead against yours. “You're thinking too much sweetheart” You capture his lips for a kiss. The girls are too distracted with their uncles to notice. “I love you so much Jonathan.”

“I love you too my beautiful wife.”

  
  
  


Hiding in the shadows of the trees Bane watches you smile and rub your pregnant belly. Watches you kiss your husband and daughter, and laugh with your family. He’s saddened that he could not have that with you. But he’s happy knowing he did the right thing and brought you happiness. 

He didn’t plan on surviving the explosion. He figured it was karma making him survive and pay for his sins. Thankfully he had a second mask you had made him as a backup. 

As much as he wants to be a part of your life he promised himself he wouldn’t reveal himself to you. He brought you enough pain and doesn’t want to cause a rift in your family with his presence. So he watches over you and your family from the shadows. Your daughter is beautiful, she looks like her father but her personality is all you. He knows you have a son on the way. He can’t wait to see who he takes after.

Suddenly you turn your head and look out towards the trees. Somehow he thinks you can feel his presence. Like part of you knows he's not gone. But he'll stay hidden in the shadows and watch over you keeping his promise to always love and protect you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Update - If you feel cheated and want a Bane fic I'm working on one now. It's called The Beauty and The Mercenary.**


	25. Bonus Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for fun
> 
> **Update - If you read this and are interested in a Bane fic I'm writing one now. I have a few chapters posted. It's called The Beauty and The Mercenary.**

CHAPTER 25

Bonus Chapter

Leaning against the passenger side of your car you check your watch again. School should be out any minute. Hope is in kindergarten, Jonathan drops her off in the morning and you pick her up in the afternoon. You can hear someone approaching and without looking you already know who it is. You suppress the urge to roll your eyes. 

“Hey there gorgeous.” It’s Chad. He’s the father to one of the boys in Hope class. He’s a sleazy douche bag, it’s no wonder why he’s divorced. He’s always trying to flirt with you which you just ignore. You don’t want to end up pummeling someone’s dad in front of the school. “Hello Chad.” You say dryly. He’s in his 30’s tall with blonde hair, blue eyes. He’s handsome but his personality completely takes away from his looks.

Suddenly he’s leaning up against your car next to you. Not quite touching you but pretty damn close. So you slide over and scowl at him. “Can I help you with something?” You say clearly sounding annoyed. He gives you a sleazy smile showing his perfectly bright white teeth. “Yes actually. I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place with Hope. So her and Todd could have a play date.”

“No thank you. My husband and I already have plans this afternoon.” You put extra emphasis on the word husband. His face goes from the sleazy smile to a pissy frown in seconds. He moves quickly to stand in front of you putting one hand on either side of you on the car caging you in. “I think you’ve played hard to get long enough. I’ve seen you with other men that weren’t your husband. So how about you drop the act.” He starts moving his face closer to yours. You think quickly and grab his shoulders kneeing him as hard as you can in the balls. He goes to hunch over, but you hold him up. 

“Listen here you bag of dicks. I am one hundred percent faithful to my husband, and I have zero interest in you. Try to touch me again and you’ll be sorry. Now go walk it off before the children see you.” You shove him away angrily. You hear him mutter some colorful words about you as he hobbles away. 

The men he was referring to would have either been Barsad or Eddie. Eddie’s had a few bad days and you brought him with you to pick up Hope to help cheer him up. You would never cheat on Jonathan. You are still as madly in love with him as you were when you first met in Arkham. 

“Mommy! Mommy!” Hope comes running down the sidewalk to you. She hands you a picture she colored “Did you make this for me sweetie?” She giggles and nods her head. “It’s beautiful. We’ll show daddy when we get home and make room on the fridge for it.” The fridge is completely covered in pictures she drew or colored. Neither you or Jonathan have the heart to get rid of them and there’s almost no space left to put anymore. 

You get Hope buckled into her seat. When you close the door you glare at Chad one last time who was already scowling at you. 

When you get home Jonathan just finished putting the baby down for a nap. He’s just over a year old now. You ended up naming him Jonathan Jr but call him Johnny or Jr. But you caved and gave him two middle names. Edward and Oswald. Hopefully he doesn’t hate you for that later. But if he loves his uncles as much as Hope then you’ll have nothing to worry about. 

Hope runs over to Jonathan to give him her new picture she’s so proud of. “What’s this princess? Another pretty picture for the fridge.” He gives you a look and you just shrug your shoulders. He picks her up and walks toward the kitchen as he’s talking to her. “How was school today princess?”

“Good. I saw mommy hit Todd’s daddy in the boy parts.” She starts giggling. Your eyes go wide. You didn’t think she saw you. Jonathan stops dead in his tracks and turns back toward you. “Is that so? Why did mommy do that?”

She starts squirming out of his hold. “I don’t know, ask mommy. I wanna go play with Anna.” He lets her down and she takes off running to go find her cousin. 

Crap. You never told Jonathan about Chad. It wasn’t a big deal, that is until today apparently. He would just say stupid things to you and you brushed it off. Today’s the first time he tried touching you. But it’s not like you can’t handle yourself. You could have broken both of his arms if you wanted to. 

Jonathan leans against the wall with his arms crossed. “Sweetheart? What happened?” You sigh and kick your shoes off, then go plop down on the couch. “It’s not a big deal. Promise me you won’t freak out.”

“Isn’t that kind of contradicting? If it’s not a big deal why would I freak out?” You roll your eyes, but you give in. You tell him about Chad always trying to hit on you. Then you tell him what happened today. Once you finish telling him you can practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

“Will you calm down Jonathan. You know I can take care of myself. I would have hurt him more but we were standing outside of the school. But I’m pretty sure I got the point across.”

“That’s not the point (Y/N). He knows you're married and he shouldn’t be trying to touch you in the first place. Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” He’s still leaning against the wall. You walk over to him and wrap your arms around him. “You quit doing the afternoon pick ups because the single mom’s that were hitting on you made you uncomfortable. Do you not think your wife gets hit on occasionally? You’re not the only pretty one you know.”

That gets a small smile out of him, and he wraps his arms around you. You lean up and kiss him on the lips. He runs his fingers through your hair. “I know you’re right. I just don’t like the thought of some guy pawing at you.”

He leans down and kisses you sweetly. "I just love you so much sweetheart."

"I love you too Jonathan, always."

Jonathan calmed down after that, but he was very quiet for the rest of the evening. Once you get both kids to bed for the night you stayed up and watched a little TV in the living room with Jonathan for a while. After about the umpteenth yawn you decide you need to go to bed. “Ready for bed baby I’m tired?” He pecks you on the lips once. “You go ahead. I’ll just lock up down here and I’ll be right up.” You nod your head in agreement, but when you walk away you don’t go to your bedroom. 

“Nice try Scarecrow.” You mutter under your breath as you walk through the house to the side door and wait on the back patio. Sure enough about 10 minutes later he comes creeping out the back door. The motion sensor lights turn on revealing you leaning against the patio table. 

“Dammit! How did you know?” 

You roll your eyes and cross your arms over your chest. “Do you seriously think after all these years you can pull one over on me? That I can’t tell the difference who I’m talking to? I’m actually really offended you think your wife’s a fool.”

His shoulders slump and he hangs his head looking defeated. “I’m sorry. I know you’re not a fool. My focus was just elsewhere.”

“So what was your plan exactly? Go terrorize some guy that I already embarrassed and kneed in the balls?” He shrugs his shoulders. "Just gonna have a little chat. Gotta teach the asshole a lesson, and make sure he keeps his hands to himself.” You realize he’s still holding one hand behind his back. You quickly jump forward and yank what he’s holding out of his hand. “Seriously? Where the fuck did you even get this?!”

He bites his lip trying to hold back a smirk. “Jonathan got stressed when he was shopping with Hope for her Halloween costume. Which led to me shopping instead. I seized the opportunity when it presented itself.” He says, sounding proud of himself. He was hiding a scarecrow mask behind his back. Halloween was a couple months ago. So he’s been hiding it for a while. 

Now you have to figure out a way to stop him from taking off the moment you fall asleep.

Two can play this game. You put your hand on his chest and smile innocently at him. “Well Scarecrow I do believe you never got to see my naughty nurse costume. Did you?” You hear him gulp loudly, and he puts his hands on your waist. “Naughty nurse costume?” You bite your lip and nod your head at him. Then lean up and start kissing his neck. You reach between your bodies and rub him through his pants. You can already feel him getting hard. He lets out a groan. “You fight dirty, you know that?”

“Well the opportunity presented itself.” You throw his words back at him. He puts both of his hands on your ass and pulls you flush against him. “You haven’t seen dirty yet. If you want a naughty nurse Scarecrow you better get your sexy ass upstairs.” He lets out a growl and then picks you up, throwing you over his shoulder and carries you inside as you try to hold back your laughter.

The next day you pick Hope up from school as usual. You talked Jonathan into staying home. You showed him the scarecrow mask before you disposed of it and told him tempting Scarecrow would be a terrible idea. He’s behaved for the most part over the years. You don’t need him to start reverting back to old habits and terrorizing people. Jonathan thankfully agreed. He was also amused by how you easily distracted Scarecrow.

As you're waiting outside your car like you always do you see Chad limping. Oops, you didn’t think you hit him that hard. He gives you a wide berth as he walks around you and his hands are trembling. He doesn’t look at you or acknowledge you in any way. Hmm...good he got the point apparently. 

Soon after Hope comes running over to you excitedly. You hear Chad let out a weird whimper as he passes you again but he was looking the other direction. He takes off almost running, pulling his son along with him. 

You just shrug your shoulders. Whatever, weirdo. Hope starts giggling as you buckle her in. “What’s so funny sweetie?” 

“The man in the mask.” Your heart practically starts beating out of your chest and you feel your body shaking. Quickly you turn around to see who she’s looking at. It’s a cold winter day. There is a boy on a skateboard with a ski mask on and he fell off his skateboard. Your heart starts beating normally again as you put your hand to your chest and release the breath you were holding. You shake your head at yourself for being ridiculous because the first image that popped in your mind was Bane. You need to get a grip.

Squatted down in the shadows between some large bushes Bane’s eyes are crinkled as he smiles at the little girl. She can’t see it with his mask though so he waves at her. He holds his index finger to his mask where his mouth would be. Letting her know not to tell. She smiles and waves back. He certainly made sure Chad won’t lay a hand on you ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> ****Update - If you read this and like it I am working on a new Bane fic. It's called The Beauty and The Mercenary.****


End file.
